Food addiction among men and women in India
European Eating Disorders Review
Published online on July 13, 2018
Abstract
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Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to address a cultural gap in the food addiction (FA) literature by examining FA and associated clinical features in a nonclinical group of men and women residing in India.
Method
Participants (N = 415) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online survey about weight and eating. Participants completed self‐report measures assessing FA (Yale Food Addiction Scale [YFAS]), eating‐disorder psychopathology (Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire [EDE‐Q]), health‐related quality of life (Short Form Health Survey—12‐item version [SF‐12]), and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire‐2).
Results
The FA symptom mean was 3.53 (SD = 1.90); 32.5% (n = 129) met FA clinical threshold on the YFAS. Groups categorized with and without FA on the YFAS did not differ significantly in sex or body mass index. YFAS scores were significantly correlated with greater frequency of binge eating, higher severity scores on all EDE‐Q subscales, higher depression, and poorer functioning scores on the SF‐12 (all ps < 0.05).
Conclusions
FA, as conceptualized and measured by the YFAS, appears to be common among individuals residing in India.
- European Eating Disorders Review, EarlyView.