(PS5-58) Financial Difficulty as a Predictor of Eating Behaviors During Pregnancy

Abstract Text: Financial difficulty may be an important factor limiting intuitive eating (i.e., eating guided by internal hunger and satiety cues) and contributing to disordered eating (e.g., dietary restriction, binge eating, irregular or inflexible eating patterns) during pregnancy. Financial stress, a social driver of health, is linked to poor maternal health outcomes including depression, anxiety, and limited access to nutritious foods and healthcare. However, the association between financial stress and eating behaviors during the perinatal period remains understudied. Given the serious risks of disordered eating, potential benefits of intuitive eating, and heightened vulnerability to adverse outcomes during pregnancy, it is crucial to identify factors that contribute to disordered eating and promote intuitive eating. Thus, the present study utilized a sample of pregnant adults (N = 176; Mage = 29.24; 77.8% White) to examine associations between financial difficulty and binge eating, purging, dietary restriction, cognitive restraint, and intuitive eating as measured by the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory and Intuitive Eating Scale-2. Financial difficulty was measured by a single item assessing participants’ ability to meet their family’s financial needs each month. Approximately 35% of the sample endorsed experiencing financial difficulty at the time of survey completion. Multiple regression analyses, controlling for the effects of race and total number of pregnancies, revealed that women with greater financial difficulty reported more binge eating (B = 2.01, p < .001), purging (B = 1.55, p < .001), and dietary restriction (B = 1.70, p < .001) but not cognitive restraint (B = 0.37, p = .057), and lower intuitive eating scores (B = -0.11, p = .002). Overall, these findings advance our understanding of how financial difficulty as a structural factor is associated with eating behaviors among pregnant adults. Consistent with prior research among non-pregnant samples, financial difficulties may be a risk factor for disordered eating and hinder engagement in adaptive eating behaviors during pregnancy. Addressing financial difficulty during pregnancy may be an important target of intervention efforts to mitigate disordered eating risk, promote adaptive eating behaviors, and improve maternal and fetal health outcomes. Routine screening for financial stress as part of prenatal care could help identify at-risk individuals and guide interventions.