ABSTRACT
Intuitive eating (IE) is a promising approach to improve eating behaviors that is primarily focused on eating in attunement with one's internal signals of hunger and satiety. Intuitive eating is related to an array of benefits including improved physical and mental health;however, many gaps exist in the IE literature. The current work utilized a novel approach in the IE context, a latent profile analysis (LPA) of 947 adults, to identify common patterns of responses to the four subscales of IE during the early COVID-19 pandemic, a time period currently understudied in the IE field. The study employed independent LPAs for two subsamples (n = 446 undergraduate students and n = 501 community members) to detect potential differences in model structure. The derived profiles were then used to test associations between COVID-19-related changes in dietary behaviors and weight concern, gender, weight loss attempts, physical activity, and mental health. LPAs of the combined sample resulted in a four-profile model. This model structure was not replicated in the undergraduate and community subsamples which showed notably different profile solutions. The two undergraduate profiles distinguished patterns of responses that were associated with lower overall (Low) and moderately high (Mod-high) levels of IE. Men were more likely to be in the Mod-High profile compared to women and the Low profile was associated with higher amounts depression, anxiety and weight loss attempts, increases in food eaten during the COVID-19 pandemic, and higher probabilities of increased weight concern during the pandemic. The community subsample showed a four-profile solution. 1: high levels of Unconditional Permission to Eat (UPE) and low levels of Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR), Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues (RHSC), and Body-Food Choice Congruence (B-FCC), which was related to increases in amount of food eaten, depression, and anxiety, and higher probabilities of increases in weight concern compared to the other profiles. 2: moderately high levels of UPE and very low levels of EPR, RHSC, and B-FCC, which showed the highest rates of weight loss attempts as well as high probabilities of increased weight concern. 3: moderate to high levels of all 4 IE subscales characterized by fewer weight loss attempts than profiles 1 and 2. 4: highest overall levels of IE which had the most stability in their weight concern compared to the other profiles. There were no gender differences between the four profiles of the community subsample and there were no associations with physical activity in either the undergraduate or community subsamples' profiles. These findings support the hypothesis that multiple, distinct profiles of IE exist and have unique relationships with health-related behaviors and outcomes. However, profile structures did vary between the undergraduate and community subsamples, suggesting limited generalizability between the two groups. Together, results suggest that IE levels both globally and in specific, naturally-occurring combinations of subscales are differentially related to eating and dieting behaviors, body image, and mental health. In application, findings suggest there may be benefits to recognizing varying patterns of IE to create tailored techniques for interventions seeking to increase these adaptive eating behaviors. Future research should continue to employ person-centered approaches alongside variable-centered ones to study more diverse populations and non-pandemic conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
Factors such as regulations and health concerns shifted daily habits, including eating behaviors, during the early months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This comprehensive narrative review synthesizes research on eating behavior changes during the early months of the pandemic (February to June 2020), including changes in amount, rate, and timing of food consumption, types and healthfulness of foods consumed, the occurrence of other specified eating behaviors (eg, restrained eating or binging), and reasons for eating (eg, stress or cravings), among adults. A literature search using three EBSCOhost databases and Google Scholar was conducted to identify relevant articles made available in 2020. A total of 71 articles representing 250,715 individuals from more than 30 countries were reviewed. Findings show eating behaviors changed little during the early COVID-19 pandemic for most participants. Among those whose eating behaviors changed, increases in both intake and frequency of eating meals and snacks were more common than decreases. Findings on timing of eating and healthfulness of food consumed showed mixed results. However, when changes occurred in the type of food consumed, increases were more common for snacks, homemade pastries, white bread/pasta, legumes, and fruits/vegetables; decreases were more common for meats, seafood/fish, frozen foods, fast food, dark breads/grains, and dark leafy green vegetables. During the pandemic, binging, uncontrolled eating, and overeating increased, meal skipping decreased, and restrictive eating had mixed findings. Changes in factors such as emotions and mood (eg, depression), cravings, and environmental factors (eg, food insecurity) were related to changes in eating behaviors. Findings can inform clinical practitioners in efforts to mitigate disruptions to normal, healthy eating patterns among adults both in and outside of global health catastrophes.
ABSTRACT
Intuitive eating (IE) is a promising approach to improve eating behaviors that is primarily focused on eating in attunement with one's internal signals of hunger and satiety. Intuitive eating is related to an array of benefits including improved physical and mental health;however, many gaps exist in the IE literature. The current work utilized a novel approach in the IE context, a latent profile analysis (LPA) of 947 adults, to identify common patterns of responses to the four subscales of IE during the early COVID-19 pandemic, a time period currently understudied in the IE field. The study employed independent LPAs for two subsamples (n = 446 undergraduate students and n = 501 community members) to detect potential differences in model structure. The derived profiles were then used to test associations between COVID-19-related changes in dietary behaviors and weight concern, gender, weight loss attempts, physical activity, and mental health. LPAs of the combined sample resulted in a four-profile model. This model structure was not replicated in the undergraduate and community subsamples which showed notably different profile solutions. The two undergraduate profiles distinguished patterns of responses that were associated with lower overall (Low) and moderately high (Mod-high) levels of IE. Men were more likely to be in the Mod-High profile compared to women and the Low profile was associated with higher amounts depression, anxiety and weight loss attempts, increases in food eaten during the COVID-19 pandemic, and higher probabilities of increased weight concern during the pandemic. The community subsample showed a four-profile solution. 1: high levels of Unconditional Permission to Eat (UPE) and low levels of Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR), Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues (RHSC), and Body-Food Choice Congruence (B-FCC), which was related to increases in amount of food eaten, depression, and anxiety, and higher probabilities of increases in weight concern compared to the other profiles. 2: moderately high levels of UPE and very low levels of EPR, RHSC, and B-FCC, which showed the highest rates of weight loss attempts as well as high probabilities of increased weight concern. 3: moderate to high levels of all 4 IE subscales characterized by fewer weight loss attempts than profiles 1 and 2. 4: highest overall levels of IE which had the most stability in their weight concern compared to the other profiles. There were no gender differences between the four profiles of the community subsample and there were no associations with physical activity in either the undergraduate or community subsamples' profiles. These findings support the hypothesis that multiple, distinct profiles of IE exist and have unique relationships with health-related behaviors and outcomes. However, profile structures did vary between the undergraduate and community subsamples, suggesting limited generalizability between the two groups. Together, results suggest that IE levels both globally and in specific, naturally-occurring combinations of subscales are differentially related to eating and dieting behaviors, body image, and mental health. In application, findings suggest there may be benefits to recognizing varying patterns of IE to create tailored techniques for interventions seeking to increase these adaptive eating behaviors. Future research should continue to employ person-centered approaches alongside variable-centered ones to study more diverse populations and non-pandemic conditions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)