Cooking Up Health: A Novel Culinary Medicine and Service Learning Elective for Health Professional Students.

PURPOSE: The current investigation assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the Cooking Up Health (CUH) culinary medicine elective that was offered to medical students at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. The elective included a combination of didactics, plant-based culinary sessions, and service learning, in which students translated nutrition and health connections to elementary school children in at-risk communities. METHOD: Nine medical students enrolled in cohort 1 and 12 in cohort 2. Students completed assessments before and after the course measuring confidence in nutrition and obesity counseling, attitudes toward nutrition counseling, personal dietary intake, and cooking confidence and behaviors. RESULTS: The elective showed high feasibility and acceptability with strong class attendance (96%-99%) and retention (89%-100%). Over the course of the elective, students across both cohorts showed increased confidence in nutrition and obesity counseling (ps < 0.001), cooking abilities (ps < 0.01), and food preparation practices (ps < 0.04). Cohort 1 reported decreased meat consumption (p = 0.045), and cohort 2 showed increased fruit and vegetable intake (p = 0.04). Finally, cohort 2 showed increased knowledge and confidence regarding consuming a plant-based diet (ps < 0.002). Students reported an increased appreciation for the role of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention and an intention to incorporate nutrition into patient care. CONCLUSION: This study provided preliminary evidence demonstrating feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the CUH culinary medicine elective for increasing medical students' confidence in nutrition and obesity counseling of patients and in their ability to use nutrition and cooking for personal self-care. Ultimately, this program of research may provide evidence to support widespread integration of CUH into medical education and has the potential to prepare medical students to properly advise patients on nutrition to combat the rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and preventable diseases related to nutrition.

An Experiential Cooking and Nutrition Education Program Increases Cooking Self-Efficacy and Vegetable Consumption in Children in Grades 3-8.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effect of a community-based, experiential cooking and nutrition education program on consumption of fruits and vegetables and associated intermediate outcomes in students from low-income families. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental program evaluation by pre-post survey of participating students and their parents. SETTING: Underserved elementary and middle schools in Chicago. PARTICIPANTS: Students (n = 271; 65% girls, 44% Hispanic, 32% African American; 94% eligible for free/reduced price lunch) in grades 3-8 selected by school staff to participate by variable inclusion criteria. 59% of students who applied returned both pre- and post-surveys. INTERVENTION(S): Ten-week (2 h/wk) chef-instructor-led program held in cafeteria kitchens after school. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Changes in student nutrition knowledge, cooking self-efficacy, fruit and vegetable liking and consumption, and communication to family about healthy eating. ANALYSIS: Changes from beginning to end of program were analyzed with paired t test. Results were considered significant at P < .05. RESULTS: Increased nutrition knowledge score from 0.6 to 0.8, cooking self-efficacy score from 3.2 to 3.6, and vegetable consumption score from 2.2 to 2.4 (all P < .05). Increased score for communication about healthy eating (4.1 to 4.4; P < .05) 6 months after the end of the course. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Experiential cooking and nutrition education programs led by chef-instructors may be effective ways to improve nutrition in low-income communities.