Major findings
Results confirmed the first hypothesis as both groups receiving IE-based text messages showed an improvement in overall IE as compared with control. However, unlike what was hypothesised, the passive IE group showed higher improvement in IE compared with the active group, driven by significant enhancement in the ‘eating for physical rather than emotional reasons’ subscale at the second follow-up. The fact that the particular subscale is involved could be due to individuals who are new to IE taking the idea of being mindful to physical cues as a ‘hunger-fullness’ diet, which could be very easy to remember after the messages were sent. The findings hence suggest that sending only the messages of IE without further active engagement may be more effective in improving IE, and the effect of the intervention needs time to be evident. In addition, the results suggest that the passive IE group showed better improvement in IE compared with the active. This could possibly be justified by the practice exercises reminding the participants of their habits instead of trying to engage them with the principle; especially that previous research used active engagement, in the form of questions and tips, to remind the participants about the learnt skills