Food Craving and Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome among University Students

@#Introduction: Food craving was one of the common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) among women. This study aimed to examine level of food craving during pre-menstruation and PMS symptoms; its association and predictor of PMS symptoms on food craving during pre-menstruation among university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female undergraduate students from International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus. Screening phase for eligibility was conducted. Three questionnaires consisted of Health History Questionnaire, Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait-reduced and Premenstrual Tension Syndrome Rating Scale were distributed among eligible students. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation test and multiple linear regression were performed using SPSS version 22.0. P value was set at p<0.05 as statistically significant. Results: 129 students were eligible as study respondents. A total of 48% of the respondents showed clinically relevant traits of food craving. The highest food craving among respondents were sweet foods (45.7%) followed by fatty (18.6%), spicy (10.9%), salty (8.5%) and sour (2.3%) food. 60% respondents had moderate to severe PMS symptoms level. There was a significant association between food craving and PMS symptoms (p=0.001). PMS symptoms significantly predicted food craving (p=0.002). Conclusion: This study is at the forefront in reporting food craving and PMS symptoms among undergraduate students which were prevalent during pre-menstruation. Food craving was significantly associated with PMS symptoms. This research provides further insight related to food craving among women particularly the role of PMS symptoms as predictor. Strategies in preventing substantial calories intake during pre-menstruation is therefore required in this population.

Deseo intenso por alimentos apetecibles: validación y estandarización del Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait en México / Intense craving for appetizing foods: validation and standardization of the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait in Mexico

Resumen Introducción: El food craving o “ansia por comer” es una respuesta motivacional y fisiológica por comer alimentos específicos, principalmente con alto contenido calórico. Para evaluarlo se usa, entre otros, el Food Craving Questionnaire Trait, estructurado multidimensionalmente y validado en diversos países, el cual ha mostrado ser sensible y adaptable a los cambios contextuales-culturales. Objetivos: Validar y estandarizar el Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait en adultos de la Ciudad de México. Método: Estudio no experimental, transversal y aleatorizado de 1059 sujetos de uno y otro sexo, entre 18 y 84 años; 71.86 % del sexo femenino. Se examinaron propiedades psicométricas con análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios. Resultados: Se redujeron los factores del cuestionario y los ítems se reorganizaron de forma diferente al original. El análisis factorial confirmatorio mostró ajuste adecuado y estandarización aceptable de los factores. Se encontró alta consistencia interna para el cuestionario global (a = 0.973 y rho = 0.975) para cada uno de los factores. Conclusión: Este estudio determina la viabilidad del Food Craving Questionnaire para población de la Ciudad de México.

Abstract Introduction: Food craving is a motivational and physiological response for eating specific foods, mainly with high caloric content. To assess food craving, self-reports, inventories and questionnaires are used. The Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait is multi-dimensionally structured and has been validated in several countries, since it is sensitive and adaptable to contextual-cultural changes. Objectives: To validate and standardize the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait in adults of Mexico City. Method: Non-experimental, cross-sectional, randomized study of 1059 subjects of both genders, between 18 and 84 years of age; 71.86 % of the female gender. Psychometric properties were examined with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: The domains of the questionnaire were reduced and the items were reorganized differently from the original version. The confirmatory factor analysis showed an adequate fit and acceptable standardization of factors. High internal consistency was found for the global questionnaire (a = 0.973 and rho = 0.975) for each one of the domains. Conclusion: This study determines the viability of the Food Cravings Questionnaire for the population of Mexico City.

Exploring the structural and construct validity of the Brazilian Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQ-T-r)

Objective: Food cravings play an important role in the neurobiology of appetitive behavior, being positively associated with negative feelings, eating disorders, and obesity. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQ-T-r), a short version of the most widely used measure of this behavior. Methods: Undergraduate students (n=505) completed the full version of the FCQ-T and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. Respondents' height and weight were also measured. Exploratory factor analyses were performed. Results: The FCQ-T-r exhibited a single-factor structure and satisfactory internal consistency (α > 0.80). A positive correlation was observed between FCQ-T-r scores and those of the original version. Furthermore, FCQ-T-r scores correlated positively with uncontrolled eating and emotional eating behaviors. No correlation was found between body mass index and FCQ-T-r scores. Considering our sample characteristics, we suggested specific FCQ-T-r cutoff points for males and females in the Brazilian population. Conclusion: Our results support the structure of the Brazilian adaptation of the FCQ-T-r, which seems to be a viable instrument to investigate food cravings, particularly in time-constrained settings. Further studies are needed to verify these findings in other age ranges and clinical samples.

Adaptação transcultural para o português dos Questionários de Desejos Intensos por Comida - Estado ou Traço (QDIC-E e QDIC-T) dos State and Trait Food-Cravings Questionnaires (FCQ-S and FCQ-T) / Cross-cultural adaptation of the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaires (FCQ-S and FCQ-T) into Portuguese

Resumo Este estudo objetivou apresentar a adaptação transcultural dos Questionários de Desejos Intensos por Comida - Estado ou Traço (QDIC-E e QDIC-T) dos State and Trait Food-Cravings Questionnaires (FCQ-S and FCQ-T) para o Português. Fez-se a tradução e a retradução dos instrumentos, a avaliação da equivalência conceitual, operacional e de itens por especialistas da área e a avaliação dos instrumentos por uma amostra de universitários, por meio da avaliação do grau de compreensão e análise da consistência interna dos instrumentos pelo coeficiente Alpha de Cronbach. Ademais, fez-se a avaliação da equivalência semântica pelo coeficiente de correlação intraclasse entre os escores obtidos por bilíngues em cada questão das versões em inglês e português. Os instrumentos foram considerados de fácil compreensão (para os especialistas foi de 95,4% e 97%, para o QDIC-T e QDIC-E, respectivamente, e, para os universitários, 81,8% os consideraram de fácil compreensão), e demonstraram valores de consistência interna satisfatórios (QDIC-T: variaram de 0,6 a 0,8; QDIC-E: variaram de 0,5 a 0,8). A partir do processo de adaptação transcultural, os resultados satisfatórios possibilitam a recomendação da versão brasileira dos QDICs.

Abstract This study aimed to present the cross-cultural adaptation of the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaires (FCQ-S and FCQ-T) into Portuguese. Tools were translated and back-translated, field experts evaluated the conceptual, operational and item-based equivalence and a sample of students assessed tools, evaluating the level of understanding and analyzing internal consistency through Cronbach's coefficient. In addition, the semantic equivalence was assessed though the intraclass correlation coefficient between the bilingual scores in each question of both versions (English and Portuguese). Tools were considered easy to understand (experts scored 95.4% and 97% for the FCQ-T and FCQ-S, respectively, and 81.8% of students considered them easy to understand), and showed satisfactory internal consistency values (FCQ-T ranged from 0.6 to 0.8 and FCQ-S ranged from 0.5 to 0.8). From the cross-cultural adaptation process, the satisfactory results enable the recommendation of the Brazilian version of FCQs.