Purpose
The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between disordered eating behaviours, level of mindful eating and obesity amongst young female adults.
Methods
Two hundred and twenty-seven female young adults aged 19-35 living in Famagusta in North Cyprus participated in this current study. Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT)-26 were used for data collecting through face-to-face interviews. Weight and body composition were obtained by body composition analyser and height were obtained by stadiometer. The measurements of neck circumference (NC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) were measured by using a non-stretching tape according to standard techniques. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated.
Results
The majority of participants (66.5%) had less than 20 points on the EAT-26. Overall, the participants with BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 had the highest MEQ scores, while the participants with BMI above 30.0 kg/m2 had the lowest MEQ scores (p < 0.05). Similarly, statistical significance was found between the MEQ scores of obese and normal weighted participants (p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between MEQ scores and BMI, fat mass, WHR, WHtR, NC and WC (r=-0.216, p < 0.01; r=-0.234, p < 0.01; r=-172, p < 0.01 and r=-0.244, p < 0.01, r=-0.145, p < 0.05; r=-0.238, p < 0.05, respectively).
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that there is a negative relationship between the level of mindful eating and BMI. The evidence from this study also suggests a positive relationship between the risk of eating disorders and BMI.
Level of Evidence
Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study