Development and validation of a shortened mindful eating inventory in U.S. Adults

BackgroundExisting tools for assessing mindful eating tend to be too long to use in many settings.Aims/ObjectiveWe assessed if a Shortened Mindful Eating Inventory (sMEI) would perform similarly to a previously developed longer inventory.Methods/MethodologyThe sMEI was constructed by selecting the items with the highest factor loading from each subscale of the original Peitz Mindful Eating Inventory (MEI) study. Participants (n = 224) completed the sMEI first and the MEI a month later to examine test-retest reliability. The Spearman's correlation coefficient was computed for sMEI and MEI scores overall and for demographic subgroups. Cronbach's alpha was computed to assess internal reliability and exploratory factor analysis was used to verify sMEI items loaded highly on MEI subscales.Results/FindingsThe mean age of the participants was 31.0 (SD 13.0) with 85.7% females. Overall, the sMEI and MEI were correlated (Spearman r = 0.73, p < 0.001). Among demographic subgroups, the correlation remained moderate to strong and similar (r = 0.62-0.76), but most highly correlated for females (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), and individuals 18-30y (r = 0.76, p < 0.001). Each sMEI item agreed closely (+/- 1-point) with its corresponding MEI item. The items also ranked high on factor loadings in their respective subscale, indicating their appropriateness as representing dimensions of mindful eating.ConclusionThe sMEI showed acceptable internal validity, good correlation with MEI, and sMEI items sufficiently represent each MEI subscale in our sample of mainly white female adults =< age 30. Therefore, in this population the sMEI may be a reasonable alternative when a longer measurement tool is not feasible.