Abstract
Background
Although the occurrence of food cravings during pregnancy is well established, there
is a paucity of qualitative data on pregnant women’s perceptions of and responses
to food cravings. This study sought to assess and describe pregnant women’s experiences
and behaviors pertaining to food cravings.
Methods
Eight focus groups were conducted with 68 pregnant women in their second trimester
from March 2015 to October 2016. Using a semistructured approach, the facilitator
asked women open-ended questions regarding their experience of eating behaviors and
food cravings. The content from the focus groups was analyzed using a bottom-up approach
based on grounded theory and constant comparison analysis.
Results
Participants described cravings as urgent, food-specific, and cognitively demanding
occurrences that were differentiated from hunger. They described beliefs surrounding
the physiological causes of cravings and rationales for satisfying their cravings.
Strategies used to manage cravings included environmental modifications to limit proximity
and availability of craved foods, cognitive and behavioral strategies like distraction,
and acceptance through satisfying the craving. Participants described food cravings
as a psychologically salient aspect of their pregnancy, reporting a variety of emotional
precursors and reactions surrounding their cravings.
Conclusions
A better understanding of food cravings may assist with the development of interventions
to improve eating behaviors and reduce eating-related distress during pregnancy. Acceptance
regarding food cravings was indicated as a way to diffuse pregnancy-related stress.
These findings contribute to our understanding of psychological influences on eating
behaviors in pregnant women.
Keywords
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Biography
L. E. Blau is an intramural research fellow, Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD.
Biography
K. W. Dempster is an intramural research fellow, Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD.
Biography
L. M. Lipsky is a staff scientist, Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD.
Biography
T. R. Nansel is a senior investigator, Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD.
Biography
M. H. Eisenberg Colman is a senior researcher, Fors Marsh Group, Arlington, VA; at the time of the study, she was a postdoctoral fellow, Health Behavior Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Rockville, MD.
Biography
A. M. Siega-Riz is dean and professor, Department of Nutrition and Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Biography
M. S. Faith is chair and professor, Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo–The State University of New York.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 06, 2019
Accepted:
September 25,
2019
Received:
March 18,
2019
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Intramural Research Program (contract #HHSN275201300015C and #HHSN275201300026I/HHSN27500002).
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS T. R. Nansel, M. S. Faith, A. M. Siega-Riz, and L. M. Lipsky conceived of the study and developed the research design. L. E. Blau, L. M. Lipsky, K. W. Dempster, M. H. Eisenberg Colman, and T. R. Nansel were involved in the analysis of data. L. E. Blau, L. M. Lipsky, and T. R. Nansel were involved in the writing of the manuscript. All authors approve of the submission of the manuscript in its current form.
Identification
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© 2020 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
