Clinical trial NCT04605224: Effectiveness of a Culinary Class on Food Literacy and Eating Behaviours of Francophone High School Students
Official title: Effectiveness of a Culinary Class on Food Literacy and Eating Behaviours of Francophone High School Students
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Eating Behavior
Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Keywords: School
Cooking class
Culinary class
Food literacy
Cooking skills
Food skills
Lead sponsor: Universite de Moncton
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-10-27
Enrollment: 1003
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Participants are students enrolled in the Culinary class or Social Studies class in the fall of 2019, in the 5 recruited francophone high schools in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.

Brief summary: As the frequency of meals taken outside the home increases, children and youth have less opportunities to develop their food and cooking skills. Consequently, poor food literacy can increase dependence on highly processed foods which generally contain high amounts of calories, fat, sugar and sodium. Past studies have shown positive impacts of culinary-based interventions on adolescents' nutrition knowledge, attitudes, eating behaviours and cooking skills. However, most of these interventions were led outside of the school context, which limits their reach. Since adolescents spend most of their waking hours in school, providing culinary classes in school may be an effective way of promoting adolescents' food literacy. Therefore, the aim of this quasi-experimental study was to assess the effectiveness of an optional culinary class on high school students' food literacy and eating behaviours. Specifically, data were collected among students from five francophone high schools who were enrolled in a culinary class. These students were compared to those who were enrolled in a social studies class. Both classes were 55-70 minutes in duration and were provided five times per week over a full 18-week semester. Data on students' food literacy and eating behaviours were collected via questionnaires during the first and last week of the semester.

Detailed description: This study used a quasi-experimental design. Students from five francophone high schools in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, who were enrolled in an optional culinary class were compared to students from those same schools who were enrolled in a social studies class. The culinary class is a hands-on course which teaches students how to measure and weigh ingredients, read and follow recipes, apply various food preparation, cooking and assembly techniques, as well as prepare meals. In contrast, the social studies class is a mandatory theory-based course which teaches students how to maintain positive relationships, how to become a productive member of society and how to make responsible and informed choices related to their health. Both classes are 55-70 minutes in duration and are provided daily over an 18-week semester.

A questionnaire was developed based on two previously validated food literacy questionnaires and assessed food and cooking skills, as well as eating behaviours. This pen and paper questionnaire was completed by students in both the culinary class and the social studies class during the first and last week of the semester (September 2019 and January 2020). Multilevel regressions will be used to assess the effectiveness of the culinary class on students' food literacy and eating behaviours as compared to the social studies class.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Be enrolled in either the culinary class or social studies class in the fall semester of 2019

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change from baseline in cooking skills at the end of the school semester
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 18
measure: Change from baseline in food skills at the end of the school semester
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 18
measure: Change from baseline in eating behaviours at the end of the school semester
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 18
measure: Change from baseline in fruit and vegetable intake at the end of the school semester
timeFrame: Baseline and Week 18
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Moncton
country: Canada
facility: Universite de Moncton
state: New Brunswick
Study officials:
affiliation: Universite de Moncton
name: Stephanie A Ward, PhD, RD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Lavelle F, McGowan L, Hollywood L, Surgenor D, McCloat A, Mooney E, Caraher M, Raats M, Dean M. The development and validation of measures to assess cooking skills and food skills. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017 Sep 2;14(1):118. doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0575-y.
citation: Wilson AM, Magarey AM, Mastersson N. Reliability and relative validity of a child nutrition questionnaire to simultaneously assess dietary patterns associated with positive energy balance and food behaviours, attitudes, knowledge and environments associated with healthy eating. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2008 Jan 29;5:5. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-5-5.