‘Mindful eating’ for reducing emotional eating in patients with overweight or obesity in primary care settings: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to analyse the efficacy of a ‘mindful eating’ programme for reducing emotional eating in patients with overweight or obesity. Method: A cluster randomized controlled trial (reg. NCT03927534) was conducted with 76 participants with overweight/obesity who were assigned to ‘mindful eating’ (7 weeks) + treatment as usual (TAU), or to TAU alone. They were assessed at baseline, posttreatment and 12‐month follow‐up. The main outcome was ‘emotional eating’ (Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, DEBQ); other eating behaviours were also assessed along with psychological and physiological variables. Results: ‘Mindful eating’ + TAU reduced emotional eating both at posttreatment (B = −0.27; p = 0.006; d = 0.35) and follow‐up (B = −0.53; p < 0.001; d = 0.69) compared to the control group (TAU alone). ‘External eating’ (DEBQ) was also significantly improved by the intervention at both timepoints. Significant effects at follow‐up were observed for some secondary outcomes related to bulimic behaviours, mindful eating, mindfulness, and self‐compassion. Weight and other physiological parameters were not significantly affected by ‘mindful eating’ + TAU

Validation of the Spanish version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS)

BACKGROUND: Boredom, which is a common problem in the general population, has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. The Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) was developed, based on a theoretically and empirically grounded definition of boredom, to assess this construct. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish validated version of the MSBS in a multi-age sample recruited from the general population. METHODS: The patients (N = 303) were recruited from primary care settings. In addition to the sociodemographic variables and the MSBS, the General Health Questionnaire 28 items (GHQ-28), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Negative subscale and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were administered. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to analyse the dimensionality of the MSBS. Cronbach’s α coefficient was used to analyse the internal consistency of the scale. The consistency of the MSBS over time (test-retest reliability) was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient. The construct validity was examined by calculating Pearson’s r correlations between the MSBS with theoretically related and unrelated constructs. Cronbach’s α for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87–0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. RESULTS: The characteristics of the final sample (N = 303) were that the participants were primarily female (66.77 %) with a mean age of 49.32 years (SD, 11.46) and primarily European (94.71 %). The CFA of the MSBS confirmed that the original five-factor model showed good fit indices: CFI = .96; GFI = .94; SRMR = .05; and RMSEA = .06 [.05–.08]. Cronbach’s α for MSBS was 0.89 (95 % CI, 0.87–0.92), ranging from 0.75 to 0.83 for the 5 subscales. The MSBS showed a test-retest coefficient measured with an ICC of 0.90 (95 % CI, 0.88–0.92). The ICC for the 5 subscales ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. The MSBS showed a significant negative correlation with MAAS and a significant positive correlation with the GHQ (total score and subscales) and PANAS-Negative Affect. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the MSBS has been validated as a reliable instrument for measuring boredom in the general population. This study will facilitate the assessment of boredom for clinical and research purposes in Spanish-speaking populations

Roadmap to develop a data-driven city

Cities play a relevant role in economic and social development. According to data from the United Nations, 55% of the global human population lives in cities, amounting to 4.2 billion people. From the same source, we learn that this fraction amounts to 78.5% in more developed countries. On the other hand, cities are estimated to consume 2% of land, generate around 70% of global GDP, and use 60% of global energy. As much of the growth of urban population is coming from less developed cities, it is safe to predict that the weight of cities in the global social landscape will increase in the coming years.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Psychological Effects of a 1-Month Meditation Retreat on Experienced Meditators: The Role of Non-attachment (vol 7, 1935, 2016)

In the published article, there was an error in affiliation 10. Instead of “Miguel Servet Hospital and University of Zaragoza, RedIAPP, Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud, Zaragoza, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Zaragoza, Spain, ” it should be “Miguel Servet Hospital and University of Zaragoza, Primary Care Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragon), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Zaragoza, Spain.” There was also an error in the Acknowledgments. The following sentence was removed as it was incorrect, “The project received funding from the Network for Prevention and Health Promotion in Primary Care (RD12/0005) grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and was cofinanced with European Union ERDF funds.” The correct funding from Instituto de Salud Carlos III has been added and the fully corrected Acknowledgments appears belo