Financial difficulty, disordered eating behaviors, and intuitive eating behaviors during pregnancy: A preliminary...

Financial difficulty, a social driver of health, is associated with adverse maternal outcomes; however, its relation to perinatal eating behaviors is not well understood. The present study examined associations between financial difficulty and binge eating, purging, dietary restriction, and intuitive eating during pregnancy. Data were drawn from a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional, online study conducted between December 2022 and July 2023. Participants were a U.S. community sample of pregnant adults (N = 176; M_age = 29.24; 77.8% White). Approximately 35% of participants endorsed current financial difficulty. Multiple regression analyses controlling for total number of pregnancies indicated that greater financial difficulty was significantly associated with higher levels of binge eating (B = 2.04, p < .001), purging (B = 1.53, p < .001), and dietary restriction (B = 1.67, p < .001), as well as lower intuitive eating (B = -0.11, p = .002). Findings suggest that financial difficulty is associated with greater engagement in disordered eating behaviors and reduced engagement in adaptive eating during pregnancy. Results underscore financial difficulty as an important and modifiable risk factor in the perinatal period. Interventions that address financial stressors and support intuitive eating, alongside routine screening in prenatal care, may help mitigate disordered eating risk and promote maternal and fetal health outcomes.