Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Intervention, Auricular Acupuncture, and Their Combined Intervention on Eating Behavior Styles and Body Mass Index in Women with Obesity: A Clinical Study

Binesh, Marzieh; Paivastegar, Mehrangiz; Hashem Dabaghian, Fataneh; Dehshiri, Gholamreza

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Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Intervention, Auricular Acupuncture, and Their Combined Intervention on Eating Behavior Styles and Body Mass Index in Women with Obesity: A Clinical Study

Marzieh Binesh

, Mehrangiz Paivastegar ^*

, Fataneh Hashem Dabaghian

, Gholamreza Dehshiri

Abstract: (237 Views)

Background and Objectives: Unhealthy eating behaviors in overweight and obese individuals require examination and effective intervention. This study aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention, auricular acupuncture, and their combined approach on dysfunctional eating behaviors and weight reduction in women.

Materials and Methods: Using a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, this study included a control group and purposive sampling. In 2024, 63 women aged 25–50 with a BMI over 25above 25 who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected from health centers and the Iran Khodro Clinic in Tehran and randomly assigned to three experimental groups (mindfulness, auricular acupuncture, and a combined intervention) and a control group. Data collection tools included the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (1986) and the assessment of biological indices at pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up stages. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25 software with mixed ANOVA at a significance level of P < 0.001.

Results: The findings showed that, in the post-test, the BMI of the experimental groups significantly decreased compared to the control group (P<0.001), especially in the combination group, where the reduction remained stable until the follow-up stage (P=0.001). Additionally, Bonferroni post-hoc test indicated that external and emotional eating significantly decreased in the mindfulness and combination groups (P<0.05), and these effects were maintained during the one-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, mindful eating, ear acupuncture, and combined interventions can be used for weight loss and reducing emotional, external and restricted eating behavior in obese women. The combined intervention appears to have greater effectiveness and more sustainable, significant impacts on weight loss and improvement in eating behavior styles compared to other methods.

Open Access Policy: This is an open-access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Keywords: Mindfulness, Auricular Acupuncture, Eating Behavior, Obesity

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Health psychology
Received: 2024/10/4 | Accepted: 2025/03/3

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