Relative impacts of a virtual cooking and nutrition program for children and families

• Published in: Appetite 2023-12, Vol.191, p.107041, Article 107041
• Main Authors: Saxe-Custack, Amy, Egan, Sarah, Sadler, Richard, Wojciechowski, Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Cooking; Cooking - methods; Diet, Healthy - psychology; Family; Female; Health Promotion - methods; Humans; Male; Nutrition education; Program Evaluation; Virtual cooking lessons; Youth
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107041

Among the many factors contributing to increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods, a societal decline in cooking skills is a barrier to achieving healthy dietary patterns among children and adolescents. The current study assessed the effectiveness of a healthy cooking program, its geographic reach, and whether program format (child only, in-person format vs. family-based, virtual format) influenced outcomes. This was a quasi-experimental comparison study using youths' (8–18 years old) pre-post surveys, paired t-tests, propensity score matching, and hot spot analysis. Children participated in one of two healthy cooking programs: Flint Kids Cook (FKC)] in-person or [Flint Families Cook (FFC) virtual. FKC was facilitated inside a farmers' market commercial kitchen, whereas FFC took place virtually, in families’ homes. Youth were eligible to participate in FKC if they were age 8–18 years, spoke English, and had not participated in a prior session. Families were eligible to participate in FFC if they had a child(ren) age 8–18 years, spoke English, and had not participated in a prior session of FKC or FFC. A total of 246 children (152 FKC; 94 FFC) completed assessments. FFC participants reported improved cooking self-efficacy (p