Development of the Japanese Version of the Mindful Eating Scale (MES)

Abstract

In recent years, mindful eating (ME) as a psychological intervention to improve eating behavior has attracted scientific attention. ME is related to mindfulness and is defined as “a non-judgmental awareness of physical and emotional sensations while eating or in a food-related environment.” The major purpose of this study is to develop a Japanese version of the Mindful Eating Scale (MES) or MES-J and examine its psychometric properties. A web-based survey company collected data from 440 adults in Japan (mean age = 42.58 years, SD = 15.54 years). Confirmatory factor analysis performed on the MES-J showed the highest fit of a correlated model with two method factors. Cronbach's αs of the full scale and six subscales were from .67 to .88. Moreover, a subset of the participants (n = 206) completed the MES-J 4 weeks after the initial testing. Results showed moderate test–retest reliability. Moreover, construct validity was supported as the full scale and subscales of the MES-J (except for the Awareness subscale) showed a moderate positive correlation with mindfulness and small to moderate negative correlations with experiential avoidance, perfectionism, and negative body image. However, the Awareness subscale showed a small negative correlation with mindfulness and a small positive correlation with perfectionism. Our findings confirm that the MES-J has sufficient reliability and validity, but further investigation is needed as our findings regarding Awareness tended to differ from those of the original study.