Discussion
OBESE
The aim of the present research was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of a new scale for measuring mindful eating behaviour, address previous limitations, and examine trait and state changes in mindful eating. In Study 1, experts’ ratings supported the content validity of the scale, allowing for further testing and standardization. In Study 2, analyses revealed and further supported the presence of two factors. Loadings of items were as predicted, apart from items 5 and 7 (i.e., “Any thoughts and/or feelings are around the taste of the food I am eating.” and “I am aware of thoughts and/or feelings ‘coming and going’ without feeling troubled whilst eating.”, respectively), which although showing acceptable loadings, did not load as high as the rest of the items. Separate analyses for average and obese weight individuals highlighted the issues with items 5 and 7 (i.e., the presence of a third factor for average-weight participants), indicating the need to exclude them to adhere to the intended two-factor model of mindful eating behaviour. Overall, these findings add to the theoretical and statistical consistency in creating a reflective measure of mindful eating behaviour. Intercorrelations between subscales the overall and subscale constructs were negatively associated with emotional eating and positively associated with mindfulness. The These findings support and replicate earlier research on emotional eating and grazing [One limitation of this research is the reliance on a participant platform that provided financial reimbursement, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research should test the scale with clinical populations seeking treatment and examine outcomes related to weight regulation and health. These are important indicators of the utility of the scale in advancing scientific inquiries about mindful eating.The present research contributes to the development of the first psychometric tool on mindful eating that measures the behaviour rather than decision-making or other unrelated eating behaviours. The inseparability between behaviour and decision-making observed in other literature on multifactorial scales does serve a purpose for scientific inquiries or clinical applications when assessing mindful eating programs, but not necessarily changes in mindful eating behaviour. The research presented further proposes methods of testing mindful eating in single-sessions of experimental settings through the state version of the scale, as well as cross-sectionally and longitudinally through the trait version of the scale. Both the state and trait versions are simple and reliable tools for clinical and non-clinical research, rooted in key theories of mindfulness and mindful eating.