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Three papers published in Current Psychiatry Reports and Appetite by Christine Call, PhD (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry), and colleagues in the Perinatal Health and Behaviors (PHAB) Lab, highlight advances in our understanding of eating disorders in pregnancy and the perinatal period. Dr. Call’s research aims to equitably promote health during high-risk times for problematic eating and excess weight gain, including pregnancy and postpartum. Below, she discusses the importance of pregnancy-specific research on eating disorders, as well as tools to help identify pregnancy‑specific eating and weight attitudes that are linked to health behaviors and outcomes.

Why is research on eating disorders specific to the pregnancy and postpartum periods necessary? 
Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve expected changes in eating, weight, and body image that can alter how eating disorder symptoms are experienced and expressed. Shifts in physiological and psychosocial factors, like nausea, food cravings, and societal expectations around weight, are central to pregnancy and the postpartum period, but are not addressed in measurement or intervention tools created for the general population. Developing perinatal-specific measures and interventions allows us to more accurately and effectively identify, study, and improve disordered eating during this critical period, which in turn has the potential to promote intergenerational mental and physical health.

What are some examples of pregnancy-specific attitudes about eating and weight?
Pregnancy is often viewed as a time when eating more and gaining weight are socially accepted and even encouraged, but these attitudes can coexist with conflicting expectations about managing weight and nutrition. Many pregnant individuals describe attitudes like “eating for two” or indulging cravings without guilt. At the same time, they may experience weight stigma during pregnancy and face pressure to quickly “bounce back” to their pre pregnancy body postpartum. While these attitudes are not inherently disordered, they can contribute to maladaptive eating patterns and negative weight related outcomes.

What is a major area of need in perinatal eating disorders research right now? 
A major need in perinatal eating disorders and eating behaviors research is measures that are valid, reliable, and acceptable to diverse pregnant and postpartum individuals. Historically, we have relied on measures developed for the general population when studying perinatal eating, but there is evidence that these measures perform poorly and introduce measurement error into our research. To address this gap, our group developed the Pregnancy Eating Attitudes – Questionnaire (PEA‑Q), a self‑report measure designed to assess pregnancy‑specific eating and weight attitudes linked to health behaviors and outcomes (Call et al., 2025; Jouppi et al., 2026). Led by doctoral student, Riley Jouppi, MS, we have also adapted a gold‑standard interview measure for use in pregnancy, the Eating Disorders Examination – Pregnancy Version (Jouppi et al., 2024). In addition, we are developing a novel self‑report measure of prenatal food insecurity, an understudied but important factor linked to disordered eating, depression, and anxiety in pregnancy.

How can the information provided by the PEA-Q help scientists/clinicians working with pregnant people?
My mentor, Michele Levine, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Psychology), and additional members of our group initiated the development of the PEA-Q years ago because they were interested in experiences of eating, body shape, and weight in pregnancy and realized there were no existing measures that quite captured these constructs. In its current iteration, the PEA‑Q helps identify pregnancy‑specific eating and weight attitudes that are linked to health behaviors and outcomes. For researchers, it offers a tool to better understand mechanisms that may be targets for intervention. For clinicians, including mental health professionals, nutritionists, and obstetricians, the PEA‑Q can support identification and monitoring of potentially problematic attitudes and guide patient education or care. Our group has been encouraged by interest from clinicians who plan to use the PEA‑Q in practice, highlighting the need for tools specifically designed for pregnant populations.

Eating Disorders and Subthreshold Symptoms in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: an Overview of Recent Research and Future Directions for Researchers and Clinicians
Call CC, Jouppi RJ, Regal AL, Christian C, Brown LB, Donofry SA, Conlon RPK, Levine MD
Current Psychiatry Reports. 2026 Jan 8;28(1):9. doi: 10.1007/s11920-025-01660-2. PMID: 41505043. 

Pregnancy Eating Attitudes-Questionnaire (PEA-Q): Longitudinal Measurement Invariance from Early to Late Pregnancy in a Community Sample
Jouppi RJ, Vize CE, Call CC, Tavernier RLE, Brown LB, Conlon RPK, Grace JL, Sweeney GM, Levine MD
Appetite, Volume 219, 2026, 108421, ISSN 0195-6663, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108421.

Pregnancy Eating Attitudes-Questionnaire (PEA-Q): Exploratory Factor Analysis and Psychometric Performance in a Pregnant Community Sample with Body Mass Index ≥ 25
Call CC, Jouppi RJ, Tavernier RLE, Grace JL, Sweeney GM, Conlon RPK, Ferguson EA, Levine MD
Appetite, Volume 206, 2025, 107828, ISSN 0195-6663, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107828.