Intuitive Eating Intervention After Bariatric Surgery

This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) in individuals who had undergone bariatric surgery and examined the effects of a 6-week online intuitive eating intervention. The study consisted of two stages. In the first stage, 297 adults aged 18-65 years who had undergone bariatric surgery were included to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish IES-2. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were assessed. In the second stage, a 6-week prospective, non-randomized controlled intervention study was conducted among 60 individuals who had undergone bariatric surgery at least two years previously and had regained at least 20% of their maximum weight loss. Participants received either an online intuitive eating intervention or standard nutritional counseling. Outcomes included intuitive eating behaviors, eating attitudes, body perception, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). The Turkish IES-2 demonstrated a valid and reliable three-factor, 17-item structure. The intervention was associated with improvements in intuitive eating behaviors and reductions in eating attitude scores, while no significant changes were observed in body weight or BMI. The findings suggest that an online intuitive eating intervention may improve intuitive eating behaviors and some eating attitudes among individuals who regain weight after bariatric surgery.