Abstract
Intuitive (IE) and mindful (ME) eating share internally focused eating, yet previous studies have shown that these concepts are not strongly correlated, which suggests that they might be differently related to food intake. The study aimed to adapt the original Intuitive (IES-2) and Mindful (MES) Eating Scales to the Polish language, to test their psychometric parameters and, further, to examine associations of IE and ME with an intake of selected food groups, i.e., healthy foods (fresh and processed vegetables, fresh fruit) and unhealthy foods (sweets, salty snacks). A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 in a group of 1000 Polish adults (500 women and 500 men) aged 18–65 (mean age = 41.3 ± 13.6 years). The factor structure was assessed with exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis as well as structural equation modeling (SEM). Measurement invariance across gender was assessed with multiple-group analysis. Internal consistency and discriminant validity of the two scales was tested. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to examine the correlation between IES-2 and MES subscales with food intake. A 4-factor, 16-item structure was confirmed for IES-2, while EFA and CFA revealed a 3-factor, 17-item structure of MES. Both scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency and discriminant validity. Full metric and partial scalar invariance were found for IES-2, while MES proved partial invariances. “Awareness” (MES) and “Body–Food Choice Congruence” (IES-2) positively correlated with intake of healthy foods and negatively with the intake of unhealthy ones. “Eating For Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons” (IES-2) and “Act with awareness” (MES) favored lower intake of unhealthy foods, whereas “Unconditional Permission to Eat” and “Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues” (IES-2) showed an inverse relationship. A greater score in “Acceptance” (MES) was conducive to lower intake of all foods except sweets. The results confirmed that adapted versions of the IES-2 and MES are valid and reliable measures to assess IE and ME among Polish adults. Different IE and ME domains may similarly explain intake of healthy and unhealthy foods, yet within a single eating style, individual domains might have the opposite effect. Future studies should confirm our findings with the inclusion of mediating factors, such as other eating styles, childhood experiences, dieting, etc.
Highlights
Intuitive and mindful eating are the two most commonly listed non-diet practices focused on the elimination of eating in response to external cues [1]
Our results suggest that more studies with Mindful Eating Scale (MES) are needed to confirm its structure, including testing correlations between MES and other scales used to measure mindful eating (ME) [28,30–33] to ensure that MES is a reliable and valid tool to assess ME
Our study supported a 4-factor, 16-item structure of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), while a 3-factor, 17-item solution was revealed for the Mindful Eating Scale (MES)
Summary
Intuitive and mindful eating are the two most commonly listed non-diet practices focused on the elimination of eating in response to external cues [1]. Intuitive eating (IE) is described as a process integrating food, mind, and body, which involves rejection of diet mentality [6,7]. Even though there are no official definitions of mindful eating (ME), its major principles remain consistent in the literature [4]. ME is characterized by placing full awareness on the present moment of eating (e.g., avoiding external distractors such as watching television), paying attention on the effect of eating on all senses (i.e., sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch), and noticing all physical and psychological sensations and responses to certain foods (e.g., taste liking) but without the judgement [4,11]
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