BIO

Caroline grew up in Montvale, NJ and is a senior majoring in Clinical Professions. After pursuing research as part of the UROP program, she decided to take on Honors in the Major work. This research combines her interests in health and nutrition, preventative medicine, and well-being. Caroline plans to work as a medical assistant after graduation while applying to medical school.

The Effect of a Mindful Eating Mobile App

Abstract

The research on rapid weight gain among newly enrolled college students has been established. The current study aims to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based mobile apps on stress reduction and weight management in college students. In recent years, young adults rely heavily on their mobile devices. The integration of a mobile app intervention may improve the engagement of mindfulness practice, therefore improving the well-being of the generation. The pre-post interventional study has been implemented using the Mindful Eating Coach 2 application. During data collection, modified versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Mindful Eating Inventory (MEI) are the primary tools for research analysis. All participants who met the inclusion criteria were instructed to download and use the mindful eating app for 4 weeks. Data shows the app used in this study can help increase some mindful eating practices. Evidence from the PSS did not support the hypothesis that perceived stress would be reduced. Greater adherence to the app intervention and a larger sample size may result in additional statistically significant data.

Keywords: Mindful Eating