# The Chinese Version of the Intuitive Eating Scale‐2 Adapted for Pregnant Women: Psychometric Properties and Associations With Diet Quality

## TL;DR

This study adapts and validates a Chinese version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 for pregnant women, showing it effectively measures eating behaviors linked to diet quality and mental health.

## Contribution

The study introduces a validated Chinese version of the IES-2 for pregnant women, linking intuitive eating to diet quality and psychological factors.

## Key findings

- The adapted IES-2 scale has strong psychometric properties in Chinese pregnant women (CMIN/DF = 1.756, CFI = 0.925).
- Intuitive eating scores correlate with depression, anxiety, and diet quality during pregnancy.
- Higher intuitive eating is associated with better diet quality in pregnant women.

## Abstract

Pregnancy is a special period that is strongly influenced by dietary interventions, and many pregnant women develop gestational diabetes caused by conditions such as poor diet. Eating behavior interventions for women during this period are therefore very important, but unfortunately, there is a lack of established studies on intuitive eating in pregnant women.

This study examined the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the IES‐2 scale adopted in a group of pregnant women, as well as the relationship between intuitive eating characteristics and dietary quality. A total of 581 pregnant women completed the study which included the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES‐2), the Depressive Symptom Scale (EPDS), the Anxiety Symptom Scale (SAS), the Parenthood Stress Scale (PPS), and The Dietary Guidelines Adherence Index for Pregnant Women during Pregnancy (CDGCI‐PW).

The results show that the modified scales have good quality in the Chinese pregnant women population (CMIN/DF = 1.756, CFI = 0.925, TLI = 0.909, RMSEA = 0.037) and that the scale scores are correlated with depression and anxiety of pregnant women and correlated with overall diet quality during pregnancy.

The final six factors (avoiding forbidden foods, avoiding emotional eating, body.food choice congruence, avoiding food‐related coping strategies, permission to eat, and reliance on hunger and satiety cues) structure of the revised IES‐2 was confirmed. Moreover, the higher the intuitive diet, the better the quality of the pregnant woman's diet will be. This scale can further assess eating behaviors in different pregnancy states within the Chinese pregnant women population.

The modified scales have good quality in the Chinese pregnant women population, and the scale scores are correlated with depression and anxiety of pregnant women and correlated with overall diet quality during pregnancy. Moreover, the higher the intuitive diet, the better the quality of the pregnant woman's diet will be.