Weight-inclusive intuitive eating course associated with reductions in disordered eating in adults: a mixed methods study.

Authors

Nikole Decker Squires, Dawn Clifford, Sarah Mensah Asantewaa, Stephanie Garrison, Nick Galli

Published in

Frontiers in psychology. Volume 17. Pages 1953974. Epub Oct 06, 2026.

Abstract

Many employee health promotion programs encourage lifestyle changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables or getting more physical activity. Most of these programs operate from a weight-normative lens, meaning they encourage such changes with the primary goal of weight change (typically weight loss). However, research indicates that weight-inclusive programs - programs that focus on health behaviors alone, regardless of weight change - may be just as effective at promoting better health and also feel less stigmatizing for participants. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a weight-inclusive employee wellness program (Intuitive Eating, or IE) and a weight-normative program (Intensive Lifestyle Program, or ILP) on disordered eating, intuitive eating, weight bias internalization, weight bias, weight/shape concerns, and body appreciation of adults working in a university setting.
This study utilized a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods approach and employed 8- (IE) and 12-week (ILP) interventions with validated pre and post questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data was analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVAs and qualitative data was analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).
Participants (n = 42) were 95% white and 98% female. 26 in the IE group and 16 in the ILP group enrolled in the study. Of that sample, 13 participants were interviewed (IE = 6; ILP = 7). The IE program was associated with significantly greater reductions in disordered eating from pre- to post-course compared to the ILP program. There were no statistically significant improvements in weight/shape concerns, IE levels, body appreciation, and weight bias between groups from pre- to post-course. Qualitative analysis found 5 main themes: 1) Influences on Body Image, 2) Diet Culture, 3) Forms of Eating and Exercise, 4) Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, and 5) Self-Care.
Qualitative analysis provided richer detail from in-depth individual perspectives of participants' attitudes in both groups about eating attitudes/behaviors, body image, and weight bias. Employee wellness programs grounded in weight-inclusive approaches such as intuitive eating may be associated with reductions in disordered eating and provide a non-stigmatizing approach to health promotion in a homogenous employee wellness setting.

PMID:
42903091
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Oct 2026.

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