Cooking as a Health Behavior in College Students
Condition: Diet, Healthy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Students who live off campus at the University of Vermont will be recruited to participate in
      the study which will begin in Fall 2019 and run through May 2020. The intervention is a
      randomized-controlled trial where students will be randomized into one of four conditions: 1)
      Active cooking classes followed by meal kits and recipes, 2) Active cooking classes followed
      by no further instruction, 3) No cooking classes followed by meal kits and recipes, or 4) No
      intervention. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and following each phase.
    

Detailed description: 
      The proposed pilot study is a randomized trial to evaluate whether cooking classes produce
      greater gains in cooking skills, food agency, and cooking frequency than meal kits or no
      intervention. There will be three phases to the study intervention and four study conditions
      (as outlined below).

      Phase 1- Cooking classes. All participants will attend 1 kitchen intensive session followed
      by 1 cooking class per week for 6 weeks

      Phase 2- Meal Kits. Assigned participants will receive meal kit deliveries once per week for
      6 weeks.

      Phase 3- Recipes. Assigned participants will receive 5 healthy recipes by email once per week
      for 6 weeks. This phase was planned, but was canceled due to disruptions caused by the
      COVID-19 outbreak.

      The investigators will randomize 64 students to one of four intervention conditions.

      Group A (n=16) - Active cooking classes followed by meal kits and recipes Group B (n=16) -
      Active cooking classes followed by no further instruction Group C (n=16) - No cooking classes
      followed by meal kits and recipes Group D (n=16) - No intervention

      Assessments will be conducted at baseline, and following each phase.

      Cooking Classes: Subjects in the cooking class conditions will begin with a brief lecture on
      the day's lesson followed by a demonstration from the chef instructor. Subjects will then
      work with a partner to prepare the recipe with guidance from the chef instructor. All
      participants will receive printed copies of the weekly recipe(s). At the end of the class
      period all subjects will take part in a sensory experience led by the chef instructor in
      which they will observe the appearance, smell, taste, and texture, of the meal they have just
      prepared.

      Meal Kits: With the meal delivery service, participants will get all the ingredients they
      need to make a meal as well as a recipe for the meal which includes step-by-step photos. They
      are then responsible for doing the actual cooking of the meal. Students will all receive kits
      for 3 meals per week from the same delivery service and will have the option to select meals
      that fit their dietary needs (vegetarian, gluten free, etc.). Meal kits are designed to serve
      two individuals therefore students should have enough food for six meals, though they will
      only need to cook three times. The service used is open to the public, therefore students who
      enjoyed the meal kit service could opt to continue service and pay for it themselves.
      However, students will be instructed to wait until study completion to do so.

      Recipes: Recipes will be designed by the research team, which includes three registered
      dietitians and a trained chef. Students will receive recipes for five healthy meals per week.
      Participants will need to shop, budget, and plan on their own. Recipes will accommodate major
      dietary preferences including vegetarian and gluten-free.
    

Intervention name(s): Active Cooking Classes; Meal Kits; Recipes
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 6 cooking classes will be held every week for 6 consecutive weeks. The lessons are patterned after Dr. Amy Trubek's cooking pedagogy and will be tailored for those cooking for themselves for the first time. Classes begin with a brief lecture on the day's topic. Students will work in teams of 2 in the foods lab to actively practice skills and cook a meal. Students receive recipes and information sheets that cover pantry supplies, grocery lists, knife skills and cooking equipment. All students attend a 2 hour kitchen intensive demonstration as an orientation.; Students receive 6 weeks of home delivered meal kits. Meal kits include ingredients and detailed instructions for 3 meals, which each serve two people. Students may select meals from a list of 18 options that include vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options.; Students are emailed a set of recipes once a week for 6 weeks. Recipes include options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Recipe sets include vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. This intervention was cancelled by COVID-related disruptions and did not take place.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: food agency; cooking