Alan J Flint1, Ashley N Gearhardt, William R Corbin, Kelly D Brownell, Alison E Field, Eric B Rimm. 1. Departments of Epidemiology (AJF, AEF, and EBR) and Nutrition (AJF and EBR), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; the Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (ANG); the Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (WRC); the Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT (KDB); the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA (AEF); the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (AEF and EBR); and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (AEF).
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Excess weight is a major threat to public health. An addiction-like tendency toward certain foods may contribute to overeating. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the prevalence and associated characteristics in relation to a food-addiction scale in middle-aged and older women. DESIGN: We examined the prevalence and associated characteristics of a food-addiction scale measure in a cross-sectional analysis of 134,175 women participating in 2 ongoing prospective cohort studies of US nurses. RESULTS: Overall, 7839 (5.8%) of the women surveyed met the criteria for food addiction measured by using the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale. The prevalence of food addiction was 8.4% in the younger cohort of women aged 45-64 y and 2.7% in the older cohort of women aged 62-88 y. In the multivariate model, body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²) ≥ 35.0 (compared with 18.5-22.9) was associated with food addiction, a prevalence ratio (PR) of 15.83 (95% CI: 12.58, 19.91) in the younger cohort of women, and a PR of 18.41 (95% CI: 11.63, 29.14) in the older cohort of women. Several other demographic characteristics and other factors were associated with the food-addiction measure in both cohorts of women. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, for the first time in a large, US-based population of women, we documented the prevalence of food addiction by using a novel measurement scale in middle-aged and older women. The results may provide insight into the strong association between behavioral attributes of food consumption and the development of obesity.
BACKGROUND: Excess weight is a major threat to public health. An addiction-like tendency toward certain foods may contribute to overeating. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the prevalence and associated characteristics in relation to a food-addiction scale in middle-aged and older women. DESIGN: We examined the prevalence and associated characteristics of a food-addiction scale measure in a cross-sectional analysis of 134,175 women participating in 2 ongoing prospective cohort studies of US nurses. RESULTS: Overall, 7839 (5.8%) of the women surveyed met the criteria for food addiction measured by using the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale. The prevalence of food addiction was 8.4% in the younger cohort of women aged 45-64 y and 2.7% in the older cohort of women aged 62-88 y. In the multivariate model, body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²) ≥ 35.0 (compared with 18.5-22.9) was associated with food addiction, a prevalence ratio (PR) of 15.83 (95% CI: 12.58, 19.91) in the younger cohort of women, and a PR of 18.41 (95% CI: 11.63, 29.14) in the older cohort of women. Several other demographic characteristics and other factors were associated with the food-addiction measure in both cohorts of women. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, for the first time in a large, US-based population of women, we documented the prevalence of food addiction by using a novel measurement scale in middle-aged and older women. The results may provide insight into the strong association between behavioral attributes of food consumption and the development of obesity.
Authors: Nora D Volkow; Gene-Jack Wang; Frank Telang; Joanna S Fowler; Jean Logan; Anna-Rose Childress; Millard Jayne; Yeming Ma; Christopher Wong Journal: J Neurosci Date: 2006-06-14 Impact factor: 6.167
Authors: F B Hu; R J Sigal; J W Rich-Edwards; G A Colditz; C G Solomon; W C Willett; F E Speizer; J E Manson Journal: JAMA Date: 1999-10-20 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: K M Rexrode; C H Hennekens; W C Willett; G A Colditz; M J Stampfer; J W Rich-Edwards; F E Speizer; J E Manson Journal: JAMA Date: 1997-05-21 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Alan J Flint; Frank B Hu; Robert J Glynn; Hervé Caspard; JoAnn E Manson; Walter C Willett; Eric B Rimm Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2009-07-30 Impact factor: 5.002
Authors: Abbey B Berenson; Tabassum H Laz; Ali M Pohlmeier; Mahbubur Rahman; Kathryn A Cunningham Journal: J Womens Health (Larchmt) Date: 2015-08-18 Impact factor: 2.681