Relationship between food insecurity, intuitive eating, and body mass index among adults: a cross-sectional study in Türkiye

This study examined the relationship between food insecurity, intuitive eating, and body mass index among adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews between January and March 2025 at a public university in Türkiye, involving 1166 students and personnel (65.7 % women; age range: 19–64 years). Participants answered the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and the Intuitive Eating Scale-2, which has four subdimensions: unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, reliance on hunger and satiety cues, and body-food choice congruence. Self-reported body weight and height were collected to calculate body mass index. Food insecurity was experienced by 42.7 % of participants. It was associated with lower total Intuitive Eating Scale-2, reliance on hunger and satiety cues, body-food choice congruence (controlled for sex, institutional role, and age), and eating for physical rather than emotional reasons (controlled for sex and institutional role) scores. Sex was not a moderator of the association between food insecurity and intuitive eating. There were no significant interactions between Intuitive Eating Scale-2 total and subdimensions and food security status for body mass index. Overall, our study provides empirical evidence that food insecurity is a significant factor that contributes to low levels of intuitive eating in a large sample of Turkish adults. Further studies should investigate the moderating effect of sex on the association between food insecurity and intuitive eating, while also emphasizing the role of food insecurity in the relationship between intuitive eating habits and body mass index in different populations.