Mindful eating intervention for preventing obesity in youth: A narrative review of literature

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic multifactorial disease with associated harms and risks to health, as well as to quality of life and well-being. Currently, approximately 8% of the child and adolescent population suffer from obesity. The objective was to review psychoeducational interventions based on mindful eating for the prevention and management of obesity in youth. A review of the literature was conducted following a narrative approach with a review of different sources. Several databases were consulted (Web of Science [all databases], PsycINFO, Scopus). After searching for psychoeducational interventions based on mindful eating, a total of 15 articles were found, of which 10 were of a preventive nature in the normative child-adolescent population and the rest were aimed at the overweight or obese population or both conditions. The programs that trained mindful eating found behavioral improvements such as an increase in the choice and self-control in the consumption of food, in the identification of biological sensations, improvement in self-concept and well-being. In those interventions aimed at young people with obesity, improvements were obtained in aspects related to mindful eating, self-efficacy in weight control and food-related cravings, and in food control and the regulation of associated emotions. However, a great variety of weaknesses have been detected in the programs, such as the heterogeneity of applied models, use of measures, duration, sample size, lack of protocolization, control groups, or follow-up measures, among others. In conclusion, future lines of mindful eating-based interventions are proposed to extend the results by overcoming the limitations of the studies reviewed.