Mindful Moms, Mindful Meals (MMMM) Studie (MMMM)

Participants in this group will take part in an 8-week, tailored Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Postpartum (MB-EAT-P) program. Weekly sessions will include mindfulness meditations, training in hunger and satiety awareness, responsive feeding education, light-intensity physical activity, and food tasting experiences. In addition to the group sessions, participants will be encouraged to engage in at-home practices, including mindfulness meditations, mindful eating, responsive feeding techniques, and journaling their experiences to support reflection and integration of the training into daily life.

Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Postpartum (MB-EAT-P) is an 8-week, patient-oriented intervention co-developed with a Parent Advisory Committee. Designed for postpartum individuals, it integrates mindfulness practices, responsive feeding education, and experiential learning. Weekly sessions include guided meditations, mindful eating exercises, infant feeding strategies, and reflective journaling. Activities cover hunger/satiety cues, emotional balance, cultural feeding practices, and light physical activity. MB-EAT-P stands out for its postpartum-specific design, parent-led development, and holistic approach to maternal-infant well-being.

The intervention group receives the full program following the baseline visit, in an in-person group setting.

Participants in the control group will receive access to the Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Postpartum (MB-EAT-P) program following the initial 8-week period. This self-guided version of the program will be delivered through the MMMM website and will include recorded sessions, meditation scripts, worksheets, and all core components of the intervention. These components encompass mindfulness meditations, hunger and satiety awareness training, responsive feeding education, light-intensity physical activity guidelines, and food tasting guidance.

Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Postpartum (MB-EAT-P) is an 8-week, patient-oriented intervention co-developed with a Parent Advisory Committee. Designed for postpartum individuals, it integrates mindfulness practices, responsive feeding education, and experiential learning. Weekly sessions include guided meditations, mindful eating exercises, infant feeding strategies, and reflective journaling. Activities cover hunger/satiety cues, emotional balance, cultural feeding practices, and light physical activity. The control group will not receive any components of the intervention until after the final clinical visit. MB-EAT-P stands out for its postpartum-specific design, parent-led development, and holistic approach to maternal-infant well-being.

The control group will then receive the full program post-study via the MMMM website in a self-guided format with recorded sessions, scripts, and worksheets.

Responsive Feeding is defined as a caregiver's ability to recognize and appropriately respond to their infant's hunger and satiety cues in a timely, supportive, and developmentally appropriate manner. It includes offering food when the infant shows hunger, allowing self-regulation, and avoiding coercive feeding. Infant cues will be assessed using the Responsiveness to Child Feeding Cues Scale (RCFCS), an observational coding system rating hunger and satiety cues (early, active, late), engagement, affect, and physical disposition. Cue strength is rated 1-5, with late cues coded present (1), absent (0), or can't tell (6). Responsiveness reflects how accurately and promptly caregivers respond to these cues, rather than cue strength alone. Composite measures include infant receptiveness (balance of hunger vs. fullness cues) and feeding engagement (percentage of time engaged with feeding). Trained coders will code video-recorded meals using the standardized RCFCS manual.

Mindful Eating is defined as non-judgmental awareness of physical and emotional sensations during eating, including hunger, satiety, taste, and emotional triggers. In this study, maternal mindful eating will be assessed using two validated tools: the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Mindful Eating Behavior Scale (MEBS). The MEQ evaluates dimensions such as awareness, disinhibition, and emotional eating, with scores ranging from 1 to 4, where higher scores reflect more mindful eating. The MEBS measures behavioral engagement in mindful eating practices, with scores from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater mindful eating behavior. Together, the MEQ and MEBS provide a multidimensional understanding of how postpartum individuals engage with food and feeding in a mindful, intentional way, capturing both attitudinal and behavioral aspects of mindful eating.

Dietary quality is defined as the overall nutritional adequacy and alignment of food intake with dietary guidelines. Maternal dietary quality will be assessed using the Healthy Eating Food Index (HEFI) based on ASA24 dietary recalls, which evaluates intake across food groups and nutrients. HEFI scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores reflecting better alignment with recommendations. Infant dietary quality will be assessed using the WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Indicators, which capture dietary diversity (0-7 food groups), meal frequency, and breastfeeding status. Together, the HEFI and IYCF provide a comprehensive assessment of maternal and infant nutritional behaviors and adherence to recommended feeding standards.

The investigators will examine whether MB-EAT-P improves behaviour change constructs (e.g., knowledge, confidence, self-efficacy) assessed using the Maternal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Solid Feeding (MSEQ-SF) and the InFANT Program Questionnaire. The MSEQ-SF captures maternal confidence and self-efficacy across three domains: (1) responsive feeding (ability to recognize hunger/satiety cues; range 0-20), (2) capability to feed (providing healthy food and encouraging intake; range 5-25), and (3) food-related decisions (confidence in making appropriate feeding choices; range 0-8). The InFANT Program Questionnaire assesses nutrition knowledge (12 items scored on a 4-point agreement scale, dichotomized into correct/incorrect) and parental confidence in promoting healthy eating, limiting unhealthy foods, and providing healthy settings (scored on a 5-point confidence scale).

The investigators will examine whether MB-EAT-P improves sleep quality in mothers. Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality.

The investigators will examine whether MB-EAT-P improves weight control strategies. Weight control strategies will be assessed using the Weight Control Strategies Scale (WCSS). The WCSS includes subscales for dietary choices, self-monitoring, and physical activity, with scores ranging from 0 to 4 per item; higher scores indicate more frequent use of weight control strategies.

The investigators will examine whether MB-EAT-P improves mental health symptoms such as postpartum anxiety. Mental health will be assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The SCL-90 contains 90 items scored from 0 to 4, producing subscale scores (e.g., Depression, Anxiety, Somatization) and a Global Severity Index (GSI); higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.

Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ) will be administered 3 months post intervention to assess sustainability of Mindful Eating behaviours. SREBQ is scored on a scale of 1-5 for five questions. The score ranges between 25-5 with higher score indicating better self-regulation of Mindful Eating Behaviour.