Evaluation of mindful eating and eating attitudes in adults applying to nutrition counseling office

This study was planned and conducted to evaluate eating awareness and eating attitudes in adults aged 18-65 years who applied to a nutrition consultancy office. This study was conducted on a total of 174 individuals (126 female, 48 male). The study data was conducted by the researcher through a questionnaire containing questions about demographic information, health information and nutrition habits of the individuals, Mindful Eating Scale (MEQ-30) and Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) with face-to-face method. In the result of the study the individuals (F: 40.5%; M:56.3%) were 44.8% in the Pre-obesity range according to BMI classification. Average of MEQ-30 scores of women and men were 97.9±14.1 and 95.4±15.3, respectively (p>0,05). Considering the at levels of MEQ-30, female participants' emotional eating (p=0.014) scale scores were lower than male participants; awareness (p=0.004) scale scores detected to be significantly higher than male participants (p<0.05). Average of EAT-26 scores of women and men were 18.5±9.3 and 16.0±10.6, respectively. The EAT-26 scores of the female participants were found higher than the males (p<0.05). It was determined that there was a weak positive correlation between EAT-26 score and MEQ-30 total (r=0.158), eating discipline (r=0.220) and aware scale scores (r=0.219) (p<0.05). It was determined that there was a weak positive correlation between the MEQ-30 scale score and the EAT-26 scale score of male patients (p=0.013). There was a weak negative correlation between the body weight of male participants and the MEQ-30 scale score (r=-0.223). It was found that there was a weak negative correlation (r=-0.223) between the body weight of male participants and the MEQ-30 scale score. It was detected a weak negative correlation between the BMI value of male patients and the MEQ-30 scale score (r=-0.208) (p<0.05). In this study, the risk of eating disorders was determined in 42.1% of women and 22.9% of men. Eating behavior strategies can be developed for individuals by using a combination of mindful eating and eating attitude approaches. Keywords: Nutrition, Mindful Eating, Eating Attitudes