Mindful Eating Behavior Scale (MEBS)

The Mindful Eating Behavior Scale (MEBS) (Winkens et al., J Acad Nutr Diet 118(7):1277–1290, 2018) is a 17-item self-report scale to assess the attention element of mindful eating. The MEBS was developed to make it possible to measure mindful eating in common situations and independent from emotional or external eating. The MEBS consists of four domains: Focused Eating (5 items), Eating in response to Hunger and Satiety Cues (5 items), Eating with Awareness (3 items), and Eating Without Distraction (4 items). The MEBS was validated in a representative sample of 1,227 Dutch adults aged 55 years and older. The final confirmatory factor analysis model showed good fit (comparative fit index = 0.97, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.96, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.04). Measurement invariance was found for sex, age, and body mass index. Cronbach’s α values were medium to high (0.70–0.89). Most correlations were in the expected directions, which indicated good preliminary convergent validity. It is recommended to calculate scores on the separate domains rather than a total score combining the four domains due to low inter-factor correlations between these domains. In contrast to previous mindful eating scales, the MEBS makes it possible to disentangle mindful eating from other eating behaviors. This offers the possibility to advance the research into mindful eating, as it then becomes possible to study mechanisms. This is also useful for applied settings as it makes it possible to better match the treatment to the needs of the individual