How a 7-Week Food Literacy Cooking Program Affects Cooking Confidence and Mental Health: Findings of a Quasi-Experimental Controlled Intervention Trial (original) (raw)
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BMC Public Health
Background: Australia, like other nations, has experienced a shift in dietary patterns away from home cooking of nutritious foods, towards a reliance on pre-prepared convenience meals. These are typically energy-dense, nutrientpoor and contribute to the rising prevalence of obesity and chronic disease burden. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether a community-based cooking program instigated a change to participants' skills, attitudes, knowledge, enjoyment and satisfaction of cooking and cooking confidence (self-efficacy). Methods: The pseudo-random, pre-post study design consisted of an intervention and a control group. Participant recruitment and group allocation was based on their program start dates. Intervention participants were surveyed three times (baseline, 7 weeks and 6 months) and the control group were surveyed at baseline and 5 weeks. All participants were registered via an online website and were 18 years or over. Upon consent, participants were offered four levels of commitment, defined by different assessments. The minimum participation level included an online survey and levels 2, 3 and 4 involved attendance at a clinic with increasing functional, anthropometric and biomarker measurements. Primary endpoints were participants' cooking confidence as a proxy for self-efficacy. Secondary endpoints were dietary intake, physical activity levels, body composition, anthropometry, blood, urine and faecal biomarkers of systemic, physical and mental health.
Barriers to Creating Healthier Home Food Environments
Family & Community Health, 2022
Background and Objectives:Few studies have identified barriers to creating a home environment more supportive of healthy eating. We examined barriers faced by participants in a randomized controlled trial and an adaptation study of the Healthy Homes/Healthy Families intervention, which uses health coaches to support low-income families in creating healthier home food environments.Methods:Coaches maintained logs of participant interactions as part of a process evaluation. We thematically analyzed logs from interactions with participants, mostly lower income African American women (n=114), to identify barriers for each of eight healthy actions that serve as core elements of the intervention.Results:Difficulty of changing current habits was a barrier for five of the healthy actions. No time/convenience and limited family support each influenced two of the healthy actions, with interpersonal barriers also stemming from social situations and visitors, including grandchildren. Cost and economic challenges were barriers for three of the actions. Hunger, cravings and limited access to resources (e.g., transportation, fresh fruits and vegetables) were each noted as barriers for one healthy action.Conclusions:Overall, these findings provide insight for how to better support families who are trying to improve their home food environments and highlight the need for multi-level interventions.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2009
Objective: To evaluate a modified curriculum for the 6-session Texas Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) promoting healthful home food environments and parenting skills related to obesity prevention. Design: Two-group randomized control trial; intervention versus usual EFNEP curriculum. Setting: Texas EFNEP classes. Participants: 1,104 EFNEP clients in 100 classes. Intervention: Six short videos, with goal setting, problem solving, guided discussion, and handouts, incorporated into existing EFNEP classes. Main Outcome Measures: Body mass index (BMI), diet, psychosocial variables with baseline measurements, immediately post, and 4 months later.
Healthy diet: Health impact, prevalence, correlates, and interventions
Psychology & health, 2017
To discuss healthy diet from a psychological perspective by considering definitions of healthy diet in terms of consumer understanding; the health effects of specific dietary elements in terms of overweight and (chronic) illness; the prevalence of healthy diet; the psychological and environmental determinants of healthy diet; and the psychological interventions that have been designed to promote healthy diet. A systematic review of the psychological literature on healthy diet. Our findings suggest that consumers have a relatively poor understanding of a healthy diet. The literature also demonstrates that there is poor evidence on the health protective effects of single foods or nutrients. We further show that low SES is the single consistent risk factor for not adhering to a healthy diet. Our review of the literature on determinants demonstrates that intentions, habits, self-regulatory skills, and the social and physical environment are the most important determinants of a healthy d...
Nutrition and Dietary Supplements
Background: Dietary behavior comprises eating, preparing, or acquiring nutritious food, all of which have an impact on one's capacity to do so. A healthy diet is defined as consuming macronutrients in the right amounts to support physiologic and energetic needs without overeating, as well as enough micronutrients and fluids to satisfy those needs. This qualitative systematic review aimed to explore enablers and barriers of healthy dietary behavior based on a socio-ecological model. Methods: We use a qualitative systematic review using Joanna Biggs institute methodology and conducted thematic synthesis. We have used online databases such as PubMed, MIDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google scholars, World Health Organization libraries, and African Journals used to retrieve articles. Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) flowchart used throughout all steps. Results: In this qualitative systematic review, eleven (11) articles were included. Heterogeneous study participants were involved and data collection techniques used were in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focused group discussion. Thematic synthesis was used since it makes it possible transparently summarise the results of previous qualitative research. Based on the socio-ecological model healthy dietary behavior enabling and barriers influencing factors are identified with five major themes: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and macro/policy level. Conclusion: Healthy dietary behavior is influenced by numerous factors and the socio-ecological model helps to ease to address these enabling and barriers to dietary healthy behavior. Therefore, we recommend using the socio-ecological model to develop effective behavior change interventions with multilevel approaches to improve health behaviors.
Healthy Eating for Healthy Communities
Health Progress, 2019
In the United States, the leading causes of death and largest sources of health care expenditure are linked to food and diet: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. Growing prevalence of obesity has put millions of Americans at increased risk for chronic health conditions as well as poorer mental health and reduced quality of life. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately affected. At the same time, 1 in 6 children live in households that face food insecurity, or the lack of consistent access to adequate food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is associated with a higher risk of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. The good news is that hospitals and health systems are working to identify and address social determinants of health in their communities—particularly food insecurity and lack of affordable access to fresh, healthy foods. The article discusses findings from a national study that included a representative survey of community benefit directors at private, tax-exempt general hospitals, a review of surveyed hospitals’ community health needs assessments and community benefit implementation strategies, and over 100 in-depth interviews. The research examined the hospital community benefit landscape and identified promising practices to promote affordable access to healthy food and healthy eating to address risk of diet-related health conditions.
Nutrition & Dietetics
Aim: While diet quality has declined globally, the promotion of cooking skills as a potential target to counter the decline has been proposed.. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between food and cooking skills and diet quality in Australian adults. Methods: A sample of 910 Australian adults completed an online cross-sectional survey to evaluate their level of cooking and food skills confidence, food related psychological variables, diet quality using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and sociodemographic characteristics. Analysis of variance with posthoc analysis, Pearson's correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted using IBM SPSS V25, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: Older respondents and females reported higher levels of both cooking and food skills confidence compared younger and male participants, all p<0.001. Cooking and food skills confidence scores were highly correlated(r = .70, p<0.001), but weakly correlated with ARFS (r = .22, p<0.001; r = .31, p<0.001, respectively). Participants with higher diet quality scores had greater cooking and food skills confidence and they consumed less takeaway food (p<0.001 and p=.006, respectively). Sixteen percent of the variance in ARFS was accounted for, with age, sex, food creativity and food skills confidence significant contributing the most variability. Conclusions: Strategies to improve food skills confidence could potentially enhance diet quality and variety to a greater degree than focusing on cooking skills alone. However, development of both skills sets should be encouraged within education programs and targeted to differing aspects of diet quality. Tailoring interventions to specific population groups with low confidence in their skills, including younger adults and males, may facilitate individuals in making healthy food choices.
Public Health Nutrition, 1998
Objectives: This study explores the factors that influence eating patterns in a nationally representative sample of the English population. Design: Subjects were interviewed in 1993; questions covered basic demographic details, attitudes about nutrition, and they completed a short food frequency questionnaire that had previously been validated. Cluster analysis was used to summarize dietary intake into more or less healthy clusters. Settiq: A random sample ofthe English population. Subjects: A cross-sectional survey of 5553 men and women (response rate 70%) aged between 16 and 74 years. Results: As defined from the cluster analysis about half the sample were currently reporting a more healthy diet; respondents in the better educated middle-aged demographic cluster were more likely to report eating a more healthy diet than respondents in the younger lower-income family cluster. About three-quarters of all respondents believed that they either already ate a healthy diet or had changed to a healthy diet in the last 3 years. For those respondents who said they were eating a healthy diet about half of them were eating a more healthy diet. Respondents who had not changed their diet were more likely than those who had to believe that healthy foods were just another fashion (men 34% v. 13%; women 30% v. 12%). or expensive (men 50% v. 35%; women 53% v. 40%); they were less likely to care about what they ate (men 45% v. 13%; women 27% v. 7%). Nearly three-quarters of all respondents agreed that experts never agree about what foods are good for you. Younger, low-income families, and those who smoked, were the group least likely to be eating a more healthy diet.