Mindful Bites: Eating in the Present Moment

NCT07605104 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: RM-2025-974PE00000003;CUP D93C22000890001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 666
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a mindful eating intervention focused on listening to podcast. The intervention is delivered via mobile application in a sample drawn from the healthy adult population.

Conditions

Listening to a Podcast on Food Education; Listening to a Theoretical Mindful Eating Podcast; Listening to a Mindful Eating Podcast With Theory and Practice

Keywords

Mindful Eating; bodily awareness; mHealth; well-being; food education; Mindfulness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Mood assessment

  Mood was assessed daily throughout the 14-day intervention period using five single-item Likert scales (1-10). Participants rated their momentary levels of stress, mental clarity, calmness, happiness, and restlessness.

  Immediately before and after each daily session over the 14-day period

• Mindful Eating Awareness

  To assess Mindful Eating Awareness, we used the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), a tool developed to measure the degree of awareness during eating behavior. In the Italian abbreviated version (Clementi, Casu, \& Gremigni, 2017), the instrument consists of 20 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale (from 1 = 'Never' to 4 = 'Always') and is divided into two subscales: awareness and recognition.

  At baseline and at the end of the 14-day intervention period

• Bodily Sensation

  Bodily sensation was assessed daily throughout the 14-day intervention period using five single-item Likert scales (1-10).

  Immediately after each daily session over the 14-day period

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• WHO-5 Well-Being Index score

  At baseline and at the end of the 14-day intervention period

• Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) score

  At baseline and at the end of the 14-day intervention period

Study Arms (3)

Mindful Eating Practice

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive notifications focused on experiential mindful eating components, including awareness of the five senses and interoceptive skills. They also complete specific guided exercises designed to cultivate these abilities.

Behavioral: Mindful Eating Practice

Mindful Eating Theory

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive notifications focused exclusively on the theoretical aspects of mindful eating, without the experiential exercises included in the practice condition.

Behavioral: Mindful Eating Theory

Mindful Eating Education

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive notifications promoting evidence-based healthy eating practices, such as adequate water intake and reduced consumption of refined foods, based on findings from authoritative scientific research.

Behavioral: Mindful Eating Education

Interventions

Mindful Eating Practice BEHAVIORAL

Participants complete a 14-day app-based program delivered through daily notifications and short audio content focused on experiential mindful eating components, including awareness of the five senses and interoceptive skills. They also complete specific guided exercises designed to cultivate these abilities. Each day, participants receive two notifications and one short audio, accompanied by brief self-report assessments evaluating mood, attention, and engagement.

Mindful Eating Practice

Mindful Eating Theory BEHAVIORAL

Participants complete a 14-day app-based program delivered through daily notifications and short audio content focused exclusively on the theoretical aspects of mindful eating, without the experiential exercises included in the practice condition. They also complete specific guided exercises designed to cultivate these abilities. Each day, participants receive two notifications and one short audio, accompanied by brief self-report assessments evaluating mood, attention, and engagement.

Mindful Eating Theory

Mindful Eating Education BEHAVIORAL

Participants complete a 14-day app-based program delivered through daily notifications and short audio content promoting evidence-based healthy eating practices, such as adequate water intake and reduced consumption of refined foods, based on findings from authoritative scientific research. They also complete specific guided exercises designed to cultivate these abilities. Each day, participants receive two notifications and one short audio, accompanied by brief self-report assessments evaluating mood, attention, and engagement.

Mindful Eating Education

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• owning a smartphone

You may not qualify if:

• presence of diagnosed eating disorders

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Marco D'Addario: lead

Study Sites (1)

Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1

Milan, 20126, Italy

Location

Related Publications (5)

• Salvo V, Curado DF, Sanudo A, Kristeller J, Schveitzer MC, Favarato ML, Isidoro W, Demarzo M. Comparative effectiveness of mindfulness and mindful eating programmes among low-income overweight women in primary health care: A randomised controlled pragmatic study with psychological, biochemical, and anthropometric outcomes. Appetite. 2022 Oct 1;177:106131. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106131. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

  PMID: 35753441 BACKGROUND

• Lyzwinski LN, Edirippulige S, Caffery L, Bambling M. Mindful Eating Mobile Health Apps: Review and Appraisal. JMIR Ment Health. 2019 Aug 22;6(8):e12820. doi: 10.2196/12820.

  PMID: 31441431 BACKGROUND

• Janssen LK, Duif I, van Loon I, de Vries JHM, Speckens AEM, Cools R, Aarts E. Greater mindful eating practice is associated with better reversal learning. Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 9;8(1):5702. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-24001-1.

  PMID: 29632306 BACKGROUND

• Dalen J, Smith BW, Shelley BM, Sloan AL, Leahigh L, Begay D. Pilot study: Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL): weight, eating behavior, and psychological outcomes associated with a mindfulness-based intervention for people with obesity. Complement Ther Med. 2010 Dec;18(6):260-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2010.09.008. Epub 2010 Nov 11.

  PMID: 21130363 BACKGROUND

• Begin C, Berthod J, Martinez LZ, Truchon M. Use of Mobile Apps and Online Programs of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Training in Workers: A Scoping Review. J Technol Behav Sci. 2022;7(4):477-515. doi: 10.1007/s41347-022-00267-1. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

  PMID: 36091081 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Patrizia Steca

  University of Milan-Bicocca

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Maria Elide Vanutelli

  University of Milan-Bicocca

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: The baseline assessment, the intervention, and the post-intervention assessment are provided automatically via the mobile app. In addition, participants are randomly assigned to a specific experimental group before starting the study and do not know which experimental group they are assigned. These features of the study minimize observer bias.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 7, 2026
• First Posted: May 22, 2026
• Study Start: December 17, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 8, 2026
• Study Completion: January 8, 2026
• Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (1)