Food cravings in food addiction: Exploring a potential cut-off value of the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced

Abstract

Purpose The Food Cravings Questionnaires are among the most often used measures for assessing the frequency and intensity of food craving experiences. However, there is a lack of studies that have examined specific cut-off scores that may indicate pathologically elevated levels of food cravings. Methods Receiver-Operating-Characteristic analysis was used to determine sensitivity and specificity of scores on the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQ-T-r) for discriminating between individuals with (n = 43) and without (n = 389) “food addiction” as assessed with the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. Results A cut-off score of 50 on the FCQ-T-r discriminated between individuals with and without “food addiction” with high sensitivity (85%) and specificity (93%). Conclusions FCQ-T-r scores of 50 and higher may indicate clinically relevant levels of trait food craving. Level of evidence Level V, descriptive study.