EP11.28: Food cravings and their nutritional and clinical aspects during pregnancy

Food cravings during pregnancy worldwide recognised, although its prevalence, specific dietary items and related factors remain unclear. The goal of this study is to describe food cravings during pregnancy. A retrospective study within the existing database of the IMPACT BCN trial (2017-2020). Trial participants were contacted for a short interview (2022-2023). Data were collected through a standardised Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ), including data on the presence/absence of the cravings, type of food, frequency, trimester and reward or culpability feelings. Pre-pregnancy body mass index, medical and obstetric history, baseline characteristics were also reported. Participants experiencing craving were compared to those who did not. Among the 659 participants who completed the FCQ, 352 (53.4%) experienced cravings during pregnancy. 209 (60%) of craving women reported a reward feeling and 50 (14.3%) a feeling of culpability. The majority of craving women experienced craving often (118, 33.6%) or almost all the time (n = 145, 41%). Regarding specific dietary components, fruit (n = 111, 31.6%) and chocolate (n=65, 18.6%) were the most frequently craved items followed by cake (n=35, 10%) and ice cream (n=33, 9.4%). When comparing to non-craving women, those who experienced food cravings were significantly younger (mean age 36.8 ± 5 vs 37.7 ± 4.3 years; p = 0.007), more commonly Latin-American (n = 57, 16.2% vs 22, 7.2%) and less commonly Caucasian (n = 279, 79.3% vs 272, 88.6%, p = 0.004). No differences were observed in pre-pregnancy body mass index, socioeconomic status, medical or obstetric history between craving and non-craving women. Interestingly, weight gain during pregnancy was significantly greater in craving women (9.2 ± 4.2 vs 8.3 ± 3.8 kg; p = 0.02). Food cravings during pregnancy is frequent, particularly for sweet food. Maternal age and race are related to its appearance, and pregnant women with cravings had significantly higher weight gain. Future studies are warranted to deepen its (patho)physiology and potential association with perinatal outcomes.