Adaptation of the Mindful Eating Intervention Program for Children and Their Families to Turkish Culture

Abstract

Mindful eating practices that encourage focused awareness during eating in children are thought to be effective in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Therefore, it is very important to develop and implement early intervention programs in order to gain healthy eating habits aimed at preventing obesity in children. Thus, it is aimed to adapt the Mindful-Eating Intervention Program for Children and Their Parents, which was created for children aged 8-11 and their parents in USA, to Turkish culture. This intervention program consists of 6 training sessions (Preventing Unconscious Eating; Exploring the Senses; Getting to Know Hunger and Fullness; Emotions Inside Out; Planting Seeds of Mindfulness; Cultural Celebration Feast), each of which is 45 min-1 hour in duration. At the same time, this program includes practice, homework and plays that that children can apply at home with their families. It is thought that this study is very important because it is a first intervention program that aims to gain mindful eating skills in children in Turkey.