Objectives/Research Problem: A total of 6.3% of American adults showed specific craving to sweet foods and this was proven analogous to sweet foods intake. We attempted to measuresweet craving among Malaysians through the development of Sugar Craving Assessment Tool for Malaysians (MySCAT). The aim of this research was to explore the pattern of sugar craving and sugar intake among Malay adults.
Materials and Method: Subjects (age19 to 59 years old) were recruited among Kuantan residents from multiple centres. A total of 219 volunteers were recruited and they completed MySCAT questionnaire, in which the respondents rated their craving for 30 sweet foods and beverages from 0 (Never) to 4 (Always). Body mass index (BMI) was obtained from height and weight measurements.
Results and Discussion: Subjects consisted of 58 males and 161 females with mean age 29.6±10.7 y, BMI 23.5±4.4 kg/m2 total MySCAT score of 41.1±14.9. Results indicated that the most craved items were sugar sweetened beverages (mean score 2.46±1.18), fruit juices (2.16±1.08) and drinks with sweetened condensed milk (median 2.00, IQR = 2.00). A subset of 100 subjects also completed FFQ Sugar (mean age 21.2±1.6 y, BMI 21.0±3.1 kg/m2. Sugar intake was 79.5 g/day and contributed the most by sugar-sweetened beverages (56.5%) followed by non-carbonated soft drinks (13.9%) and sweets & chocolates (5.6%). Sugar intake was significantly higher in male (95.4 g/day) than female (54.3 g/day, p
The purpose of this study is to validate Sugar Craving Assessment Tool (MySCAT) among type II diabetes mellitus patients. A total of 168 respondents were recruited to participate in this cross sectional study. It was conducted in out-patient health clinics in Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan. Patients’ sugar craving and dietary behavior were measures using structured questionnaires which were MySCAT, three-day dietary recall and demographic data. The interview sessions were conducted by a dietician. MySCAT internal consistency test had a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.75 and showed a significant correlation (r=0.56, p < 0.001) with actual sugar intake collected via three days diet recall. ROC analysis reported a cut-off point for MySCAT as 16.5; the sensitivity value of 0.83 and 1-specificity of 0.38. 62% of respondents were categorized as cravers and 38% as non-cravers. Male and female repondents had no significant differences in craving status. The mean intake of sugar was 46 g/day (SD= 2.26), respondents had a relatively high intake of sugar in comparison to their recommendation. This study found that MySCAT provides an easy efficient tool which is sensitive enough to identify those with sugar craving problem. It also provides an overview of patients’ dietary intake and points out their problem with dietary intake compliance. We suggest MySCAT as an important tool that can assist dietitians in their consultation session.