Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26644270›Full record

SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2016

Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: a meta-analytic review.

Rebecca G Boswell, Hedy Kober

4 registry-linked trialsOpen access · greenAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 280 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
280citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
20.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03766191 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2019, after this paper: background citation

The Relation of Genetic Factors, Food Cues, and Self-Regulation With Excess Consumption and Adiposity in Children

TypeinterventionalSponsorTrustees of Dartmouth CollegeRan2019 to 2024Enrolled189ConditionsChildhood ObesityArmsFood Ads, Non-food Ads
NCT03882957 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2019, after this paper: background citation

Media Multi-tasking and Cued Overeating: Assessing the Pathway and Piloting an Intervention Using an Attentional Network Framework

TypeinterventionalSponsorDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterRan2019 to 2020Enrolled92ConditionsAttention Concentration Difficulty, Obesity, ChildhoodArmsSustained attention, media multi-task, Video
NCT06280339 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Comparison of Coping Strategies to Reduce Food Cravings During Dietary Weight Loss

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignRan2024 to 2024Enrolled100ConditionsObesity, Food Cravings, Weight LossArmsTest two food cravings strategies during dietary weight loss, Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies
NCT06723028 naactive not recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Mobile Regulation of Craving Training (mROC-T) to Improve Dietary Intake in Rural Adolescent Girls

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of WyomingRan2025 to 2026Enrolled150ConditionsObesity and Type 2 Diabetes, Diet ModificationArmsRegulation of craving training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

280 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 683 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Systematic review of the effect of policies to restrict the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to which children are exposed.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022
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  17. A Brief Motivational Intervention Differentially Reduces Sugar-sweetened Beverage (SSB) Consumption.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2021
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220 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rebecca G BoswellDepartment of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Hedy KoberDepartment of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Yale University · US

Funding

TSF to enhance treatment of cocaine dependenceP50DA009241 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI CARROLL, KATHLEEN M. · 1994 to 2018
$40.5M
SUBSTANCE ABUSEK12DA000167 · NIDA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI STEPHANIE S O'MALLEY, Marc N Potenza · 1991 to 2026
$17.7M
NIDA NIH HHS K12 DA000167NIDA NIH HHS K12 DA00167NIDA NIH HHS P50 DA009241NIDA NIH HHS P50 DA09241
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

According to learning-based models of behavior, food cue reactivity and craving are conditioned responses that lead to increased eating and subsequent weight gain. However, evidence supporting this relationship has been mixed. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to assess the predictive effects of food cue reactivity and craving on eating and weight-related outcomes. Across 69 reported statistics from 45 published reports representing 3,292 participants, we found an overall medium effect of food cue reactivity and craving on outcomes (r = 0.33, p < 0.001; approximately 11% of variance), suggesting that cue exposure and the experience of craving significantly influence and contribute to eating behavior and weight gain. Follow-up tests revealed a medium effect size for the effect of both tonic and cue-induced craving on eating behavior (r = 0.33). We did not find significant differences in effect sizes based on body mass index, age, or dietary restraint. However, we did find that visual food cues (e.g. pictures and videos) were associated with a similar effect size to real food exposure and a stronger effect size than olfactory cues. Overall, the present findings suggest that food cue reactivity, cue-induced craving and tonic craving systematically and prospectively predict food-related outcomes. These results have theoretical, methodological, public health and clinical implications.

Indexed as

CravingCuesBehavior, AddictiveBulimiaEvidence-Based PracticeFeeding BehaviorFoodHumansImpulsive BehaviorObesityWeight GainCravingcue reactivityeating behaviorfoodweight gain

Identifiers

PMID26644270
PMCPMC6042864
OpenAlexW2192006161

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.