Validation of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES-2) in Pregnancy and Association with Psychological Characteristic and Diet Quality in a Population of Pregnant Women

Abstract

Abstract Pregnancy is a special period that is strongly influenced by dietary interventions, and many pregnant women develop gestational diabetes caused by conditions such as poor diet. Dietary interventions for women during this period are therefore very important, but unfortunately there is a lack of established studies on intuitive eating in pregnant women. This study is the first study to assess intuitive eating during pregnancy in pregnant women using the Intuitive Eating Scale-2. A total of 581 pregnant women completed the study which included the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES-2), the Depressive Symptom Scale (EPDS), the Anxiety Symptom Scale (SAS), the Parenthood Stress Scale (PPS), and The Dietary Guidelines Adherence Index for Pregnant Women during Pregnancy (CDGCI-PW). The results show that the modified scales have good quality in the Chinese pregnant women population (CMIN/DF = 1.756, CFI = 0.925, TLI = 0.909, RMSEA = 0.037) and that the scale scores are correlated with depression and anxiety of pregnant women and correlated with overall diet quality during pregnancy. The final six factors (avoiding forbidden foods, avoiding emotional eating, body-food choice congruence, avoiding food-related coping strategies, permission to eat and reliance on hunger and satiety cues) structure of the revised IES-2 was confirmed. This scale can further assess eating behaviors in different pregnancy states within the Chinese pregnant women population.