Intuitive eating may underlie the link between food insecurity and binge eating in college students

College students endorse high rates of food insecurity, a risk factor for binge eating. Intuitive eating practices are protective against disordered eating and may attenuate the relationship between binge eating and food insecurity. The current study tested domains of intuitive eating (i.e., reliance on hunger and satiety cues and eating for physical rather than emotional reasons) as moderators of the association between food insecurity severity and binge eating. Data were collected from 493 college students (90.1% non-Hispanic White; 68.6% cisgender female) between the ages of 18 and 25. Food insecurity was positively correlated with binge eating, and the intuitive eating domains were negatively correlated with binge eating (ps < 0.01). Intuitive eating domains explained variance in binge eating beyond food insecurity severity but did not moderate the food insecurity-binge eating association (ps = 0.790 and 0.994). Instead, post hoc analyses revealed that reliance on hunger and satiety cues accounted for the relationship between food insecurity and binge eating (indirect effect 95% CI [0.04, 0.25]). Further post hoc analyses indicated that the association between food insecurity and binge eating was significant only among students with a campus meal plan (p = .005). Taken together, findings suggest that increasing food access alone may be insufficient to reduce binge-eating risk; interventions may also need to support students in reconnecting with internal cues. Longitudinal research should examine whether improving interoceptive abilities reduces binge eating in the context of food insecurity. Findings underscore the potential utility of intuitive eating-based interventions across socioeconomic status and potential adaptations for food-insecure populations.