Problem Statement or Research Question
The research question for the final assignment: “What is mindful eating, and how is it beneficial for students?”
Databases
ERIC, APA PsycINFO, Education Source.
Annotation Bibliography
Nathalie Lyzwinski, L., Caffery, L., Bambling, M., & Edirippulige, S. (2018). University students’ perspectives on mindfulness and mHealth: a qualitative exploratory study. American Journal of Health Education, 49(6), 341-353. Web.
This article is devoted to studying students as a group experiencing problems with proper nutrition and weight management. According to the text, this occurs under the influence of multiple stressors, which are compensated by unhealthy food. Mindfulness, in this context, is proposed as a strategy to correct such behavior by strictly controlling a person’s activities and needs. The authors conduct qualitative research, exploring students’ current views and the possibilities of implementing this strategy within platforms such as mHealth. To accomplish this, they formed a group of 8 people, primarily Caucasian women, who were asked a number of questions regarding their worldviews and knowledge.
Accordingly, the most significant findings of this study are the students’ perspectives regarding the problems of proper nutrition and the adaptation of a mindfulness strategy. According to the students’ answers, they practically did not think about such practices due to lack of time. Simultaneously, most of them showed interest in implementing the mindfulness approach. However, several barriers have been identified, including social, cultural, temporal, monetary, and environmental. Thus, this study allowed getting the perspective of the study group and identified directions in which work needs to be done to further the introduction of mindful eating.
Ingram, C. M., Breen, A. V., & van Rhijn, T. (2019). Teaching for well-being? Introducing mindfulness in an undergraduate course. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(6), 814-825. Web.
This article’s main topic is the relationship between various mindfulness practices and the mental health of students receiving higher education. The authors emphasize that although the problem of psychological pressure is widespread in such institutions, there are practically no measures of assistance. This situation can be changed using a mindfulness strategy that includes several components. The authors use qualitative analysis of the students’ perspectives and experiences to analyze how such practices can be introduced into the curriculum. Data for the study was obtained by asking 14 female students about their self-care practices and stressful situations.
The examination’s main findings include the students’ viewpoints on mindfulness practices. In addition, experiences with such practices were generally rated as positive, although some methods caused discomfort to students, which was the reason for abandoning them. In addition, the analysis of the results of training in various self-care practices has shown that their application is highly dependent on the individual and context. As a result, the authors recommend teaching students not specific actions but certain tools that will allow them to analyze their feelings and sensations better. Thus, they will be provided with various approaches that may be applicable in different situations.
Akil, M. (2022). The mediating role of duration and intensity of physical activity in increasing eating awareness: Adolescent and parental participation study. JTRM in Kinesiology, 10-15.
According to the article’s author, unhealthy eating habits are harmful and can contribute to developing various diseases. This substantiates the need to draw attention to this problem and understand the principles of mindful eating. The author approaches this issue from the perspective of environmental factors, examining the influence of the setting and related activities on nutrition habits. In the context of such factors, they consider physical activity since it contributes to the formation of mindfulness. A survey was conducted among 1117 teenagers aged 15-17 and their parents to explore the possibility of such a connection.
Although the results of this study were mixed, the author found that groups of teenagers prone to physical activity were more likely to have healthy nutritional habits. This is associated, first of all, with the principles of self-control and a tendency to a healthy lifestyle. However, among adolescents engaged in physical activity, there were also observed negative patterns due to the desire to receive a reward for their efforts in the form of tasty and unhealthy food. Nevertheless, for the most part, physical activity positively impacts healthy nutritional habits. It allows studying the principles of mindful eating better to develop health strategies further.
Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Singh, A. N., Winton, A. S., Singh, J., McAleavey, K. M., & Adkins, A. D. (2008). A mindfulness-based health wellness program for an adolescent with Prader-Willi syndrome. Behavior Modification, 32(2), 167-181. Web.
Mindless food intake can be linked to various factors, from harmful habits and addictions to severe illnesses. The paper by Singh et al. is devoted to investigating Prader-Willi syndrome and the related satiety delay in the context of mindfulness strategies. From the authors’ perspective, using such approaches could help patients with this condition improve their quality of life. To investigate this association, a case study was conducted with a 17-year-old adolescent with Prader-Willi syndrome as a participant. It compared the effects of mindfulness strategies in various combinations with exercise versus no intervention.
As the results of the investigation show, mindful eating has a significant impact on the process of eating and the physical performance of a person. With the consistent application of this strategy, a person can significantly improve their nutritional habits by reducing weight and gradually getting rid of excess food intake. However, the authors emphasize that the most significant effect can be achieved only by combining several methods simultaneously. The best results have been shown with regular exercise, proper diet, and mindful eating. Therefore, although this technique is helpful for the formation of healthy nutritional habits, including for patients with specific conditions, it is only an additional factor.