Effect of Mindful Eating on Weight Management in Breast Cancer Survivors

Effect of a Mindful Eating Intervention on Weight Management in Overweight and Obese Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Survivors

This pilot study examined changes in anthropometric measures as a result of and feasibility/ acceptability of a mindful eating intervention for overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Neoplasm Female
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindful eating intervention

Detailed Description

Being overweight is associated with increased risk for chronic disease and premature death in breast cancer survivors. This pilot study examined changes in anthropometric measures as a result of and feasibility/ acceptability of a mindful eating intervention for overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. The one-group pre-posttest study design included eight weekly group-based mindful eating sessions on strategies to intentionally and attentively consume food. Anthropometrics, blood pressure, mindfulness, nutritional intake, and physical activity were collected at baseline and 12-weeks follow-up. Data on feasibility and acceptability were collected at study completion.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 13
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 50 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Postmenopausal female
• Breast cancer survivor (in remission)
• Completed cancer treatment at the time of study enrollment
• Body Mass Index (BMI) equal or greater than 25 kg/m²

Exclusion Criteria:

• None.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Mindful eating intervention; The mindful eating intervention was taught by a mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor certified by the Center of Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Behavioral: Mindful eating intervention; A Mindful Eating Workshop™ workbook was used for standardization and reproducibility of these sessions. The group sessions were focused on teaching applied strategies to consume food with intention and attention and aimed at improving emotional relationships with food. Intervention sessions were held once a week in the evening for 2 hours per session over 8 weeks. The intervention was delivered in a large conference room on the University of Georgia campus. Participants were required to attend seven out of eight sessions. If participants missed a session, they met with the instructor 30 minutes before the beginning of the following week's session to receive individual instruction on content of the missed session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body Mass Index	At the baseline and follow-up visits, trained study staff measured participants' weight and height using a standardized protocol. Height (measured by a stadiometer to the nearest 0.1 cm) and weight (measured by a scale to the nearest 0.1 kg) was used to calculate BMI (weight in kg divided by height in m²).	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12
Blood Pressure	At the baseline and follow-up visits, trained study staff measured participants' systolic/diastolic blood pressure using a standardized protocol to the nearest mmHg. In order to ensure reliability, all measurements were taken 3 times and average values were used for analyses.	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12
Waste and Hip Circumference	At the baseline and follow-up visits, trained study staff measured participants' waist and hip circumference by tape measure to the nearest 0.1 centimeter.	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12
Body Fat Percentage	At the baseline and follow-up visits, trained study staff measured participants' body fat percentage using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA).	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12
Feasibility of Conducting the Intervention	Feasibility was assessed by tracking participant accrual and retention rates.	Measured at week 12
Acceptability of the Intervention	To measure acceptability, participants were asked to complete a 5-question feedback survey to evaluate the mindful eating intervention at the follow-up study visit. Specifically, the open-ended survey questions asked participants about (1) their experience with intervention, (2) how the intervention affected diet and exercise management, (3) positive aspects about the intervention, (4) negative aspects about the intervention, and (5) suggested changes to the intervention. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to identify themes within the data.	Measured at week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mindful Eating Measures	Changes in mindfulness resulting from the intervention were measured using the validated Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). The MAAS questionnaire is a 15-item scale that was designed to assess mindfulness and receptive awareness throughout an individual's daily life. Scores from the MAAS range from 1 to 6, with higher scores associated with higher mindfulness. The MAAS was validated for use in cancer populations against the Profile of Mood States (POMS) scale that is widely used in clinical settings. Higher MAAS scores were significantly correlated with lower POMS scores, further confirming the construct validity of the MAAS questionnaire for assessing mindfulness in cancer populations. The questionnaire was self-administered to the participants pre and post intervention.	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Nutritional Intake	Habitual nutritional intake was measured using an electronic version of the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire, a 127-item food and beverage recall instrument referencing the consumption over the past month. Dietary intake data was describes as daily energy consumption (kcal), consumption of macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate; grams/day), and intake of sweets (% of daily intake) to compare intake before intervention start with intake during the intervention.	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12
Physical Activity	Participants' physical activity levels (average daily steps; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) minutes) were tracked throughout the study period using FitBit® Flex accelerometers. Total daily steps and MVPA minutes were averaged for the first and the last week of the intervention to examine changes.	Change measured between weeks 1 and 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Georgia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 9, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 29, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): October 31, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 24, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): June 3, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 3, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2019
• Last Verified: May 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Obesity; Mindful eating; Weight management; Cardiovascular health; Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Breast Diseases; Breast Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00002818

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No