Comparison of verbal and pictorial measures of hunger during fasting in normal weight and obese subjects

Objective Friedman, Ulrich, and Mattes described a new pictorial instrument for assessing hunger wherein respondents outline areas on a drawing of a h uman figure to depict the location of their hunger sensations. The present study compared normal weight and obese individuals on the pictorial measure and on more traditional verbal hunger measures during a 22-hour fast. Research Methods and Procedures: The pictorial measure, along with 13 verba l items assessing hunger and hunger-related symptoms, was administered to 2 9 normal weight college students and 46 overweight clinic patients four tim es during a 22-hour fast. Factor analyses of verbal hunger items produced H unger, Somatic Symptoms, and Stomach Symptoms factors. The pictorial measur e was divided into peripheral (arms, legs, head) and central (trunk) body a reas. Results: The increases in hunger during the fast were greater when measured using the pictorial as opposed to the verbal instrument. Correlations betw een and within the three verbal hunger measures and two pictorial measures were generally few in number and modest in size. The overall pattern of cor relations suggested that the verbally based hunger measures more adequately reflected the experience of hunger in normal weight than in obese individu als. A significant interaction between weight status and assessment period was found for the pictorial measure, indicating that normal weight subjects experienced more bodily hunger than overweight subjects initially but expe rienced less hunger than obese subjects after a prolonged period of food de privation. Discussion: Although more testing is needed, these results suggest that the pictorial hunger assessment provides information about the experience of h unger that could complement information provided by traditional verbally ba sed hunger measures.