A systematic review on the effectiveness of unstandardized mindfulness interventions in improving dietary and physical activity outcomes in healthy adults.
Christian E Preissner, Lieke Vilier, Nora C Bertelsmann, Kim Beckers, Dennis De Ruijter, Hein De Vries, Anke Oenema
BMC Public Health May 8, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22850-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Behavior change Diet Health behavior Physical activity |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Unstandardized mindfulness-based interventions did not provide clear evidence of effectiveness for promoting dietary behaviors and physical activity at the between-group level. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based strategies are increasingly applied outside of standardized clinical protocols to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors. No overview exists of how mindfulness-based strategies are integrated in these "unstandardized" interventions and which strategies have potential for effect. This review (i) summarizes key intervention characteristics and strategies, (ii) provides a qualitative overview of the effectiveness of unstandardized mindfulness-based strategies for promoting healthy dietary and PA behaviors, and (iii) provides an assessment of the study quality. Articles were identified using the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science online databases until 11/2024. Records were included if they applied mindfulness outside of a standardized clinical protocol among healthy adults and measured healthy dietary or PA outcomes pre- and post-intervention. Study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Interventions (n = 44) inconsistently applied formal and informal mindfulness strategies and a variety of meditation exercises (e.g., body-centered or movement meditation). The findings did not provide clear evidence in favor of unstandardized mindfulness applications in promoting dietary behaviors and PA at the between-group level. Study quality was predominantly rated as 'weak' due to selection bias and lacking blinding procedures. There exist great variations in the implementation of mindfulness strategies, low study quality, and heterogeneity in measurement, potentially explaining the lack of effects of such unstandardized interventions. To gain more insight into the effective application of mindfulness-based strategies in health promotion, higher-quality studies with robust designs as well as component studies are needed to shed light on the active ingredients of interventions.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 25
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
and 20 more in the library