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Exploring the “weight” of food cravings and thought suppression among Cuban adults

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The current study aimed to analyze individual differences on food cravings, intrusive-related thoughts and its suppression between normal weight and overweight/obese Cuban adults.

Methods

Participants were 1,184 individuals from general population, aged between 18 and 64 years (M = 32.89; SD = 12.87), with 69.1 % females. All participants answered a set of questionnaires and provided demographic, anthropometric and clinical data.

Results

Overweight/obese individuals had higher mean scores than normal weight individuals on food cravings (including its nine dimensions) and food and body weight/shape thought suppression. Large effect sizes were found for body weight/shape thoughts suppression and lack of control over eating, where overweight and obese individuals showed the highest scores. This trend was also found for food thoughts suppression, food cravings trait, cue-dependent eating, preoccupation with food and guilty feelings, with effect sizes from medium to large. Finally, medium effect sizes were observed for intention to eat and negative affect.

Conclusion

Overweight/obese individuals experienced more food cravings and food and body weight/shape thought suppression than normal weight individuals among Cuban adults.

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Notes

  1. Extreme economic difficulties experienced in Cuba between 1990 and 1995 which conditioned a decrease of food (among other supplies) availability for the majority of the population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Central University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas (UCLV), Carretera a Camajuaní Km 5½, 54830, Santa Clara, Cuba

    Boris C. Rodríguez-Martín

  2. University Hospital “Celestino Hernández Robau”, Santa Clara, Cuba

    Patricia Gil-Pérez

  3. Centre of Research of Numerical and Computational Methods in Engineering, Central University “Marta Abreu” of Las Villas, Santa Clara, Cuba

    Irvin Pérez-Morales

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  1. Boris C. Rodríguez-Martín
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  2. Patricia Gil-Pérez
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  3. Irvin Pérez-Morales
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Correspondence to Boris C. Rodríguez-Martín.

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Rodríguez-Martín, B.C., Gil-Pérez, P. & Pérez-Morales, I. Exploring the “weight” of food cravings and thought suppression among Cuban adults. Eat Weight Disord 20, 249–256 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-014-0163-y

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