ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1585856
This article is part of the Research TopicMindful and Intuitive Eating: Insights and InterventionsView all articles
Assessment of Intuitive Eating in Saudi Arabia and its Relationship with Sociodemographic Factors and Nutritional Indicators Using an Arabic Version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2
Provisionally accepted
- King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Background: Intuitive eating (IE) is an eating style where the person responds to the bodily signals of satiety and hunger. This study assessed IE in Saudi Arabia using the newly validated Saudi Arabic Intuitive Eating Scale 2 (IES-2). It also examined the influence of sociodemographic factors, sex, and BMI on the scale and subscale scores. Methods: This cross-sectional study gathered data online, using the Saudi Arabic IES-2, from individuals aged 18 years and older with a BMI of 18.5 kg/m² or higher residing in Saudi Arabia. Results: There were 387 respondents (57.9% women) with an average age of 31.83 ± 11.06 years. BMI showed a significant negative association with the total scale and subscale scores (p < 0.05). The total IE score was significantly influenced by age, sex, BMI, educational level, employment status, and recent weight change. Sex specifically affected the scores for the “Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons “(EPR) and “Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues for Eating subscales” (RHSC). Employment status was a significant predictor for the RHSC subscale score. Age and recent weight change specifically influenced the Unconditional Permission to Eat subscale score. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the multidimensional impact of sociodemographic factors on IE behaviors among Saudis, and the importance of culturally customized interventions to promote IE practices in the region. Preliminary findings support the promotion of IE in public health and prevention initiatives. Future research should explore the longitudinal relationships and intervention strategies aimed at enhancing IE practices.
Keywords: Intuitive eating, BMI, Intuitive Eating Scale 2, sociodemographic factors, Saudi Arabia, Arabic
Received: 01 Mar 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Albajri and Naseeb. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Eram Albajri, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Manal Naseeb, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.