The association between pre-conception intuitive eating and gestational weight gain

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Nutritional Science
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a critical factor influencing maternal and infant health outcomes.
• Intuitive eating, an adaptive eating behavior, involves listening to internal hunger and satiety cues.
• Understanding pre-conception eating behaviors may offer insights into managing GWG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pre-conception intuitive eating and GWG.
• To determine if intuitive eating predicts the likelihood of exceeding GWG recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Prospective survey study in an outpatient obstetric clinic.
• Participants (n=253) completed the pre-conception Intuitive Eating Scale for Pregnancy.
• Hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations with GWG, stratified by pre-pregnancy weight status.

Main Results:

• No aspect of intuitive eating predicted the likelihood of excess GWG.
• Unconditional permission to eat was inversely related to total GWG in the overall sample (B=-0.16, p<0.05).
• Among women with obesity, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons was inversely related to total GWG (B=-0.47, p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Certain intuitive eating aspects pre-conception correlate with total GWG, especially in women with obesity.
• Intuitive eating did not influence the odds of exceeding GWG guidelines.
• More research is required to elucidate the mechanisms before clinical recommendations can be formulated.