Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate dimensionality and psychometric properties of the Italian Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQ-T-r) in a sample of obese and overweight patients seeking weight loss treatment.
Methods: Participants were 504 (416 women and 88 men) overweight and obese patients (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)), and 289 (215 women and 74 men) Italian adults not currently seeking weight loss treatment. All participants were administered the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T) and the Binge Eating Scale.
Results: The fifteen items included in the FCQ-T-r explained 93% of the variance of the 39-item FCQ-T total score (R(2) = 0.93). A principal axis factoring analysis indicated a one-factor solution, explaining 55.6% of the variance of the data. The FCQ-T-r had high internal consistency and was also able to differentiate between individuals with various severities of binge eating behavior.
Conclusions: The FCQ-T-r may be considered a useful instrument for measuring trait food craving, when time constraints impede the use of the 39-item FCQ-T.