Teaching a Man to Fish: An Evaluation of a Chronic Disease Management Men’s Cooking Class

There is limited data on the effects of cooking classes on male participants. The LiveWell Chronic Disease Management program’s Men’s Cooking Class (MCC) aims to help participants gain skills and confidence with food to manage chronic diseases more independently and improve their health. This paper evaluates whether, and how, the program is effective in achieving its goals. A qualitative process was used to collect data from past program participants. Data collection included telephone interviews conducted with a sample of 27 past MCC attendees and a focus group held with a subsample of seven participants. Thematic analysis was performed on collected data. Five major themes emerged, including (i) practical and applicable content, (ii) kinesthetic teaching and learning, (iii) catering to the interests of participants, (iv) tailoring to the demographic, and (v) enjoyment and engagement. Findings indicate the current LiveWell MCC program is effective in meeting its goals. The themes identified are aspects of the program that contribute to this effectiveness. The thematic findings indicate areas in which to continuously adapt and monitor the effectiveness of this program and serve as recommendations for other programming. Further research on the long-term impact of MCC for self-management of chronic disease is needed.

Community-based culinary and nutrition education intervention promotes fruit and vegetable consumption

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Market to MyPlate (M2MP) program on fruit and vegetable consumption and cooking behaviours. Secondary objectives were to examine factors that affected participant retention and program completion, and analyse program feedback provided by participants. Design: This study conducted a mixed methods evaluation embedded within a cluster randomised controlled trial of the M2MP intervention. Adult participants completed a pre- and post-program survey reporting on their fruit and vegetable consumption and cooking behaviours. A subsample participated in structured interviews, providing feedback about M2MP and the impact of the program. Setting: Seven weekly classes took place in community centres and extension offices in central Illinois. Participants: 120 adults and their families participated. Class cohorts were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) nutrition education and cooking classes with produce allocations (PAE, n 39); (2) nutrition education and cooking classes only (EO, n 36) or (3) control group (n 45). Results: Compared to control, PAE participants reported larger increases from pre- to post-intervention in fruit (P = 0·001) and vegetable consumption (P = 0·002), with no differences in cooking frequency. Interview analyses identified key themes in behaviour changes due to M2MP, including reported increases in dietary variety, cooking self-efficacy and children’s participation in cooking. Conclusions: PAE participants who received an intervention that directly increased their access to fresh produce (via produce allocations) increased their reported fruit and vegetable consumption. Though participants’ cooking frequency did not change, interviewees reported increased variety, cooking confidence and family participation in cooking.

Beyond Ramen: Investigating Methods to Improve Food Agency among College Students

Many college students struggle to cook frequently, which has implications for their diet quality and health. Students’ ability to plan, procure, and prepare food (food agency) may be an important target for shifting the college student diet away from instant and inexpensive staples like packaged ramen. The randomized intervention study included two sequential cooking interventions: (1) six weeks of cooking classes based in food agency pedagogy held once per week, and (2) six weekly home delivered meal kits (3 meals per kit) to improve food agency, diet quality, and at home cooking frequency of college students. Based on availability and subsequent randomization, participants were assigned to one of four conditions that included active cooking classes, meal kit provision, or no intervention. Participants who took part in the cooking intervention had significant improvement in food agency immediately following the intervention period. Participants who did not participate in cooking classes and only received meal kits experienced significant, though less pronounced, improvement in food agency scores following the meal kit provision. Neither intervention improved diet quality or routinely improved cooking frequency. Active cooking classes may improve food agency of college students, though further research is needed to determine how this may translate into improved diet quality and increased cooking frequency.

Supporting Positive Parenting and Promoting Healthy Living through Family Cooking Classes

Background: The family is an important setting in the promotion of child health. The parent–child relationship affects the social and health development of children, and children’s healthy behaviors are associated with positive parenting strategies. The parent–child relationship is bi-directional and the connection between parenting and child health is complex. However, few parenting interventions work with parents and children together, and more knowledge is needed on how to develop and implement interventions promoting healthy parent–child relationships. Focusing on a family cooking class program, this study addresses how community initiatives engaging parents and children together can contribute to integrating parenting support with local health promotion. Methods: Participant-driven photo-elicited interviews (nine families), focus group evaluations (nine parents/14 children) and observations during cooking classes (10 classes) were applied to analyze the tools and mechanisms that can support positive parenting. Results: The study found that visual, practical and sensory learning techniques, applied in a context-sensitive learning environment that ensured guidance, safety and a friendly social atmosphere, contributed to positive parent–child interaction and bonding. Conclusion: The cooking program facilitated parenting practices that support child involvement and autonomy. Thus, the program constituted an effective intervention to strengthen parent–child relationships and positive parenting.

Cooking Class Recommendation Using Content Based Filtering for Improving Chef Learning Practical Skill

Koolinera is a web-based e-learning application about learning to cook Indonesian culinary dishes. Users are free to choose cooking classes. Culinary in Indonesia is very diverse, so many users feel confused in choosing a cooking class. No specific guidance is given to users on tips for choosing a cooking class. Therefore, it is important to develop a feature that can help users to guide the selection of cooking classes, namely by building a cooking class selection recommendation system. Class recommendations are obtained based on the last class taken by the user. The criteria used to determine the recommendations are the similarity of class names, dominant taste of cuisine, category of cuisine, area of origin, and tutor. The algorithm used is Content-Based Filtering with TF-IDF calculations. The recommendations given to users are a list of six cooking classes. Testing is carried out based on black box testing, expert validation, and user testing. The blackbox test carried out states that all functions are running well. The validity test of the media by the validator got a percentage of 96.52%. User testing in the Usability Tetsing Experience section got a percentage of 85.73%, User Acceptance Testing got a percentage of 83.89% and testing the relevance of the recommendation system got a percentage of 88.69%

Diabetes Self-Management Education Support Healthy Teaching Kitchen Cooking Classes Delivered Using a Telehealth Technology

Purpose The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) among veterans with diabetes using the Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) by means of telehealth communication. Methods A retrospective chart review collected data from veterans with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) that participated in the DSMES-HTK program at 2 Veterans Affairs Northeast Ohio Healthcare System facilities between February 2013 and December 2018. A factorial design was used to compare A1C data and use of clinical video telehealth from main hub to satellite site. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 25). Repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) were performed to compare mean A1C in veterans that attended HTK at the main site versus a telehealth site. RMANOVA was also used to compare mean A1C in veterans that attended at least 1 hands-on class versus those that attended at least 1 demonstration class. Results A1C values of all groups improved over time and were sustained regardless of DSMES-HTK delivery method or location. Conclusions Sustained improvement in A1C was observed in patients that participated in both DSMES-HTK in person and via clinical video telehealth classes conducted by hub site facilitator with RDN, CDCES credential. The use of a clinical video telehealth strategy for DSMES-HTK capitalizes on limited, highly skilled, credentialed instructional team members.

Touristic Gazing and Tasting in the Cambodian Cuisine

Cambodian food tourism, particularly in Battambang Province, provides an excellent opportunity to generate increased tourist numbers and to create a significant point of difference within a globalized and highly competitive tourist marketplace. Responding to that nexus, this research explores international tourists' feedback from their food experiences in Battambang Province, Cambodia. This research used data gleaned from TripAdvisor about seven restaurants in Battambang that offered international tourist food experiences. Those restaurants included restaurants that were also social enterprises, restaurants with cooking classes, and stand-alone restaurants. From that cohort our research used 118 reviews that, through thematic analysis, we distilled into our research themes. The research identified six themes as key drivers for the tourist food experience in Battambang. They included: experiencing the taste of Cambodian food; service encounters and environment; food price and value for money; socialization with local people and other tourists in an educational environment; authenticity and helping the community. Consequently, this research not only provides a valuable and unique insight for potential tourists and academics, but also illuminates valuable strategies for locals who wish to provide future tourist food experiences in Battambang.