(PS8-B35) Intuitive Eating’s Relationship to State Level Affect and Attitudes Before and After Eating

Intuitive eating involves being aware of hunger and satiety cues and trusting these internal cues to guide decisions about eating. This style of eating is associated with more positive body image, better emotional functioning, and lower disordered eating, although many studies in this area are cross-sectional. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) offers a unique opportunity to better understand how intuitive eating relates to affect and attitudes directly before and after eating. Understanding these constructs at a state level will help in understanding how individuals use intuitive eating to guide food choices in the moment and potential ways to intervene Therefore, the proposed study sought to examine whether trait level intuitive eating related to state level negative affect, guilt, taste enjoyment, and eating restrictions/regret measured using EMA. A total of 104 college males and females completed a baseline assessment of intuitive eating and related constructs and a seven-day EMA protocol. During the week of EMA, participants were asked to complete recordings before and after eating that assessed key tenets of intuitive eating including affect, guilt, taste enjoyment, and eating restrictions/regret. Among 104 participants, 87.5% were female, mean age was 24.3, 46.2% identified as Hispanic, and mean body mass index was 26.3. Across the week of EMA, participants completed a daily average of 1.88 (SD = 1.07) before eating surveys and 1.67 (SD = 0.94) after eating surveys. Trait level intuitive eating measured at baseline was associated with more anticipated taste enjoyment, less negative affect, and less eating restrictions before eating. Additionally, trait level intuitive eating measured at baseline was associated with less guilt and less eating regret after eating. The current study found support for the relationship between trait level intuitive eating, and state level negative affect, guilt, taste enjoyment, and eating restrictions/regret. Findings support the ecological validity of intuitive eating and demonstrate that intuitive eating guides one’s decisions and affect related to food before and after eating. This appears to be one of the only studies to examine intuitive eating at the momentary level using EMA. Future work should continue to validate EMA appropriate measures to understand the mechanisms of intuitive eating and explore potential intervention applications.