Cooking as a Health Behavior in College Students

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.

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.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Undergraduate students at the University of Vermont living off campus independently (may have roommates but not live with a guardian)
* Ages 18-25
* Cooks dinner at home no more than 3x/week
* Access to a kitchen at home
* Availability during scheduled cooking classes/demonstrations

Exclusion Criteria:

* Students will be excluded from the study if they do not complete baseline data collection measures prior to the first class meeting.