Appetite 48 (2007) 87–95 Research report Chocolate craving among children: Implications for disordered eating patterns Fiona Cartwright a , Werner G.K. Stritzke a,Ã , Kevin Durkin b , Stephen Houghton c , Valerie Burke d , Lawrie J. Beilin d a School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia b Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom c Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia, Australia d School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Australia Received 11 April 2006; received in revised form 12 July 2006; accepted 18 July 2006 Abstract The aim was to test the validity of a multidimensional model of chocolate craving among children, and to examine if the dimensions underlying the model predict consumption and eating disordered symptoms. Participants were 602 children (53% female) aged 11, 12, and 13 from 11 schools in Western Australia. Measures included the Orientation to Chocolate Questionnaire (OCQ) designed to assess three components of chocolate craving (approach, avoidance, and guilt), questions assessing body image dissatisfaction and dieting, and body mass index (BMI). Using structural equation modeling, results confirmed that chocolate craving among children is best conceptualized as a three-factor model (approach, avoidance, guilt). The underlying dimensions were differentially associated with self- reported chocolate consumption and indicators of disordered eating patterns. After controlling for BMI and gender, chocolate-related guilt was strongly associated with greater body dissatisfaction and dieting, and avoidance inclinations were also associated with dieting. Chocolate-related guilt was higher in girls than in boys. Results suggest that children experience chocolate craving as a multidimensional phenomenon reflecting some ambivalence. A gender difference in chocolate-related guilt appears to emerge in childhood, potentially contributing to a greater risk for girls to develop exaggerated concerns about body shape and weight. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Chocolate craving; Children; Guilt; Ambivalence; Eating disorders Introduction Chocolate is a frequently and intensely craved food among women, and to a lesser extent among men (Hill & Heaton-Brown, 1994; Weingarten & Elston, 1991). Yet, no published studies have examined chocolate craving in children. Research with adults suggests that chocolate craving comprises multiple facets with distinct properties, some of which are associated with disordered eating patterns (Benton, Greenfield, & Morgan, 1998). The aim of this study was to examine chocolate craving among children and to determine if different aspects of chocolate craving may be early indicators of risk for eating disordered symptoms such as dietary restraint and dissatisfaction with body weight and shape. Dimensions of chocolate craving Approach and avoidance inclinations: Historically, cho- colate craving has been defined as an intense desire for chocolate (e.g. Pelchat, 1997; Weingarten & Elston, 1990). This arbitrarily restricts craving to the ‘intense’ end of the continuum of all possible experiences of craving, even though a weak desire is experienced as a craving by many (Kozlowski, Mann, Wilkinson, & Poulos, 1989), and vigilance for even small changes in craving along its entire continuum of intensity is a prominent feature of interven- tions for appetitive disorders (West, 2006). More recently, craving has been conceptualized as varying in intensity ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.com/locate/appet 0195-6663/$ - see front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2006.07.081 Ã Corresponding author. E-mail address: werner@psy.uwa.edu.au (W.G.K. Stritzke).