Eating pleasure according to BMI and associations with diet quality and intuitive eating in adults from the Province of Québec, Canada

Eating pleasure represents a promising lever for improving diet quality and relationship with food. It is not known whether eating pleasure is experienced similarly in people from different BMI categories. This study compared eating pleasure profiles of participants with higher BMI (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) to participants with middle (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2) and lower BMI (BMI < 25 kg/m2). It also evaluated whether the associations of eating pleasure with diet quality and intuitive eating differed according to BMI. A non-probabilistic sample was recruited and participants (n=284; 50% women; 18 to 65 years; living in Québec province; self-identifying as having suboptimal eating habits) completed the Eating Pleasure Questionnaire (EPQ), assessing seven subscales of eating pleasure. They also completed the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) and two web-based 24h dietary recalls to calculate the Healthy Eating Food Index-2019 (HEFI-2019). Comparisons among BMI groups were performed using ANCOVA and post-hoc comparisons. Moderation analyses were performed through multiple regressions using the PROCESS macro v4.3. Higher BMI participants scored higher on the "emotional/ situational eating and reward" eating pleasure subscale compared to lower BMI participants (p=0.0193). Higher BMI participants scored lower on the "new experiences" subscale compared to middle and lower BMI participants (p=0.0034 and 0.0194, respectively). BMI did not moderate the associations between eating pleasure scores and diet quality or intuitive eating. Thus, higher BMI individuals exhibit distinct eating pleasure profiles compared to those with middle or lower BMI. These differences should be considered in future eating pleasure-based interventions targeting this population.