Impact of Mindful Eating on Eating Behavior and General Health: A Cross-sectional Study among College Students

Abstract

This study aimed explores the relationship between mindful eating, eating behaviors, and general well-being among college students. The cross-sectional approach was applied to find out whether mindfulness in eating has an effect on the lifestyle behaviors of students and their physical wellbeing. A total of 200 students underwent validated questionnaires that included the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, Mindful Eating Questionnaire, and General Health Rating Index designed to appraise students’ eating behaviors, levels of mindfulness, and perceived health condition. There was a relationship between mindful eating and eating behavior (r= 0.32, p < 0.001). Also 9.9% to 10.8% variability in Eating Behavior can be explained through Mindful eating. General health improvement was not the consequence that can be derived from direct effects of mindful eating; instead, it showed the reverse, which means that indeed there was a problem to translate mindful eating into health gains. This research can be used to indicate that an approach of mind eating can help the college students for healthier intake, though more research is required in the longitudinal direction to assess the long-term outcomes of health.