Expanded mindful eating and environmental awareness: Impacts on food portion choices at restaurants

Abstract

Background and aim: To find ways to encourage “ordering the appropriate amount of food” at restaurants, we examined the relationship between dietary attitudes using Expanded Mindful Eating Scale (EMES) and “ordering the appropriate amount of food.” Methods: A survey was conducted on 1000 people aged 20 to 64 in Tokyo. The respondents were asked about items related to “ordering the appropriate amount of food” and then divided into two groups: low-scoring group and high-scoring group for “ordering the appropriate amount of food.” For the food attitude scale, we used EMES. Then, the two groups were compared with regard to scores of EMES and demographics using Mann–Whitney's U test and chi-square test. Moreover, logistic regression analysis was performed, with the two groups of “ordering the appropriate amount of food” as the dependent variable, each subscale of EMES as the independent variable, and demographics as the adjusting variables. Results: The results showed that those who ordered an appropriate amount of food were more likely to have global environmental consideration, food appreciation, and hunger and satiety (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.41 [1.08–1.85], 1.46 [1.05–2.03], 1.67 [1.22–2.30]). However, those who could control their appetite from external stimuli and those who did not judge food as good or bad were not associated with “ordering the appropriate amount of food.” Conclusions: Although causality cannot be established due to the cross-sectional design, this study suggests that promoting care for the global environment, appreciation for food, and awareness of hunger and satiety may encourage “ordering the appropriate amount of food.”