The effects of intuitive eating on mental well-being and eating behaviors of health workers

INTRODUCTION: Intuitive eating is identified as eating by hearing to and adapting to the physical hunger, satiety and satisfaction reactions given by the body naturally. The aim of this study was to research the effects of intuitive eating on mental well-being and eating behaviors in healthcare workers.
METHODS: The plan of this study included all health workers in the state hospital in Edirne. The questionnaires were filled by the researchers according to the answers given by the participants to the questions. The five sections in the questionnaire consist of demographic information, anthropometric measurements, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The SCOFF Questionnaire to screen for eating disorders and the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2). Health workers were separated into two groups according to the intuitive eating scale-2 median score (Group 1: below 3.60; Group 2: 3.60 and above).
RESULTS: The participants' IES-2 mean score was 3.50 ± 0.59 (1.50 - 4.80). The BDI mean score of the participants in Group 1 was higher than that of those in Group 2. The number of participants with normal mental well-being according to the BDI score was lower in Group 1 than in Group 2. The number of participants exhibiting risky eating behavior according to the SCOFF score was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The health workers who ate intuitively had better mental well-being and fewer eating disorders than those who did not intuitively eat.