Weight-Focused Physical Activity Is Associated with Poorer Eating Motivation Quality and Lower Intuitive Eating in Women

• Published in: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vol. 119; no. 5; pp. 750 - 759
• Main Authors: Carraça, Eliana V., Leong, Sook L., Horwath, Caroline C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2019
• Subjects: Adult; Body Weight; Diet, Reducing - psychology; Exercise - psychology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Goals; Humans; Hunger; Intuition; Intuitive eating; Middle Aged; Motivation; New Zealand; Overweight - psychology; Physical activity; Satiation; Self-Determination Theory; Surveys and Questionnaires; Weight Loss; Weight-related goals; New Zealand; Motivation; Weight-related goals; Physical activity; Intuitive eating; Self-Determination Theory
• ISSN: 2212-2672; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.09.011

Evidence suggests that physical activity may be related to improved eating regulation, helping people self-regulate their eating in a healthier way. Yet the positive associations between physical activity and eating-related behaviors appear to depend on the goals pursued by individuals when they engage in physical activity. This study investigated differences in eating motivations (informed by Self-Determination Theory) and intuitive eating between women who did physical activity to lose weight (PA-Wt) vs for non-weight goals (PA-NWt), and explores whether eating motivations mediate associations between weight-focused physical activity and intuitive eating. A sample of 1,435 physically active women (40 to 50 years) participated in a nationally representative survey conducted in 2009 in New Zealand. Women were asked whether they did physical activity predominantly to lose weight and were dichotomized into PA-Wt and PA-NWt groups. Questions assessing eating in response to hunger and satiety cues (intuitive eating) and eating-related motivations were completed by participants. Analyses of covariance, t tests, correlations, and mediation analyses were conducted to test the study hypotheses. PA-Wt participants reported lower levels of intuitive eating than did PA-NWt (0.26<Cohen’s effect size d<2.38; all, P<0.001), and higher levels of both autonomous (0.16<d< 0.41; P<0.010) and controlled eating motivations (introjected: d=0.60, P<0.001; external: d=0.24; P<0.001). Associations between PA-Wt and intuitive eating were mediated by introjected motivation (effect ratios=0.18 to 0.29), and less prominently by intrinsic and integrated motivation. Whether women are active to lose weight or for other reasons seems important when it comes to regulating their eating: weight-focused physical activity appears to be linked to higher eating motivation (ie, quantity), while the presence of poorer-quality motivation (ie, introjected motivation) is related to a less intuitive eating style.