Hauck, C., Weiß, A., Schulte, E. M., Meule, A., & Ellrott, T. (2017). Prevalence of ‘Food Addiction’ as Measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 in a Representative German Sample and Its Association with Sex, Age and Weight Categories. Obesity Facts, 10
(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1159/000456013
From the research article’s abstract: “Background/Aims: To assess the prevalence and correlates of addictive-like eating behavior in Germany. Methods: The German version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) 2.0 was used to investigate, for the first time, the prevalence of ‘food addiction’ in a representative sample aged 18-65 years (N = 1,034). Results: The prevalence of ‘food addiction’ measured by the YFAS 2.0 was 7.9%. Individuals meeting criteria for ‘food addiction’ had higher BMI and were younger than individuals not meeting the threshold. Underweight (15.0%) and obese (17.2%) individuals exhibited the highest prevalence rate of ‘food addiction’. Addictive-like eating was not associated with sex, education level, or place of residence. Conclusion: YFAS 2.0 ‘food addiction’ was met by nearly 8% of the population.