Intuitive eating Scale-2: Factor structure and associations with disordered eating, impulsivity and quality of life in adolescents with overweight/obesity

Sofia M Ramalho; Pedro F Saint-Maurice; Sílvia Félix; Eva Conceição

doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101593

Intuitive eating Scale-2: Factor structure and associations with disordered eating, impulsivity and quality of life in adolescents with overweight/obesity

Eat Behav. 2022 Jan:44:101593. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101593. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Authors

Sofia M Ramalho¹, Pedro F Saint-Maurice², Sílvia Félix³, Eva Conceição⁴

Affiliations

¹ Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit - Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: sofiaramalho@psi.uminho.pt.
² National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room- 6E572, Rockville, MD 20850, United States of America. Electronic address: pedro.saintmaurice@nih.gov.
³ Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit - Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: silviafelix@psi.uminho.pt.
⁴ Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit - Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: econceicao@psi.uminho.pt.

PMID: 34954449
DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101593

Abstract

Objective: The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) has been shown to be a valid tool to assess the capability of eating in reaction to natural hunger/satiety cues. However, its factor structure seems to differ in function of cultural/socioeconomic backgrounds, and its psychometric properties among the adolescents with overweight/obesity (BMI-for-age percentile >85th) have not been examined yet. Thus, this study aims to 1) investigating the factorial structure/psychometric properties of IES-2 in adolescents with overweight/obesity; and 2) exploring the associations between impulsivity, quality of life disordered and intuitive eating.

Methods: A total of 202 Portuguese adolescents (124 girls; 78 boys; 12-19 years) under weight-loss treatment with a mean BMI z-score of 2.41 (SD = 0.75) participated in this study. The IES-2 factor structure was explored by confirmatory factor analysis and bifactor models. Test-retest reliability analyses were performed over 6 months (n = 41) and associations between the variables under study were explored.

Results: Confirmatory factor analyses with posthoc modifications resulted in a bifactor model with acceptable fit supporting one general factor (intuitive eating) and three specific factors (IES-2 subscales). The "Unconditional Permission to Eat" subscale could not be replicated in this sample. Test-retest reliability analyses suggested good temporal stability. Intuitive eating scores were negatively associated with grazing eating behavior and impulsivity (negative urgency) and positively linked to quality of life.

Conclusions: An adjusted version of IES-2 can be an appropriate measure for assessing intuitive eating levels in adolescents with overweight/obesity. Research on intuitive eating has the potential to enhance pediatric weight-loss interventions.

Keywords: Adolescents; Bifactor model; Disordered eating; Intuitive eating; Obesity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Eating
Emotions
Feeding Behavior
Feeding and Eating Disorders*
Female
Humans
Impulsive Behavior
Intuition
Male
Obesity
Overweight
Quality of Life*
Reproducibility of Results
Surveys and Questionnaires