Effect of Mindful Eating Practice and Night Eating Syndrome Towards Waist-to-height-ratio Among Overweight and Obese Patients: A Cross-sectional Study
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Abstract
Background: Mindful eating can aid weight control, while night eating syndrome (NES) is linked to obesity due to disrupted eating patterns and increased night-time calorie intake. Aim: To determine the association between mindful eating practice and night eating syndrome (NES) with waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) among overweight and obese patients. Methods: A total of 128 overweight and obese adult patients were recruited through a convenience sampling method. The data obtained includes sociodemography, anthropometry, medical history, dietary habits, physical activity, mindful eating practice and night-eating syndrome risk through the interview-administered method. Results: Most subjects were Malays (89.1%), aged 25-44 (36.7%), married (79.7%), and in the B40 income category (75.0%). A significant portion (35.2%) led a sedentary lifestyle and did not exercise (35.9%). Many consumed sugary drinks/foods (52.3%) and oily/fried foods (65.6%) at least 4 times a week. The majority (91.4%) had an unhealthy WHtR (≥ 0.5), with only two subjects (1.6%) at risk of NES. There were no significant gender differences in the WHtR, (p-value of 0.759). The subjects had a high mean mindful eating total score (2.8±0.3), with women scoring significantly higher on the Awareness subscale (2.7±0.4) compared to men (2.5±0.4) (p = 0.033). However, there was no significant difference between subjects’ mindful eating total scores and NEQ scores with WHtR. Conclusion: Current study found no significant difference between mindful eating, night eating habits and waist to height ratio. More research is needed to study the factors that may influence weight status such as physical activity and dietary intake.
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