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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Jun;24(8):2297-2303.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980020002256. Epub 2020 Aug 3.

Effect of culinary education curriculum on Mediterranean diet adherence and food cost savings in families: a randomised controlled trial

Alexander C Razavi  1   2 , Alexander Sapin  1   2 , Dominique J Monlezun  1   2 , Isabella G McCormack  1 , Anna Latoff  1 , Kathrine Pedroza  1 , Colleen McCullough  1 , Leah Sarris  1 , Emily Schlag  1   2 , Amber Dyer  1 , Timothy S Harlan  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of culinary education curriculum on Mediterranean diet adherence and food cost savings in families: a randomised controlled trial

Alexander C Razavi et al. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Diet-related diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA. While the critical aspects of a healthy diet are well known, the relationship between community-based, teaching kitchen education and dietary behaviours is unclear. We examined the effect of a novel culinary medicine education programme on Mediterranean diet adherence and food cost savings.

Design: Families were randomised to a hands-on, teaching kitchen culinary education class (n = 18) or non-kitchen-based dietary counselling (n = 23) for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was adherence to the validated nine-point Mediterranean diet score, and the secondary outcome was food cost savings per family.

Setting: The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, a community teaching kitchen in New Orleans.

Participants: Families (n = 41) of at least one child and one parent.

Results: Compared with families receiving traditional dietary counselling, those participating in hands-on, kitchen-based nutrition education were nearly three times as likely to follow a Mediterranean dietary pattern (OR 2·93, 95% CI 1·73, 4·95; P < 0·001), experiencing a 0·43-point increase in Mediterranean diet adherence after 6 weeks (B = 0·43; P < 0·001). Kitchen-based nutrition education projects to save families $US 21·70 per week compared with standard dietary counselling by increasing the likelihood of consuming home-prepared v. commercially-prepared meals (OR 1·56, 95% CI 1·08, 2·25; P = 0·018).

Conclusions: Community-based culinary medicine education improves Mediterranean diet adherence and associates with food cost savings among a diverse sample of families. Hands-on culinary medicine education may be a novel evidence-based tool to teach healthful dietary habits and prevent chronic disease.

Keywords: CVD; Child; Cooking; Family; Food preferences; Mediterranean diet; Nutrition; Prevention of chronic disease.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Class attendance for families randomised to teaching kitchen-based nutrition education
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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