Cooking with a Chef - A Culinary Nutrition Intervention for College Aged Students. (Paperback)

The primary objective of this study is to provide evidence that a culinary nutrition intervention is appropriate for, and of value to college students. A secondary objective is to provide evidence that the nutrition component of a culinary nutrition course can be delivered online through an interactive presentation. The study initially involved a review of literature highlighting the nutrition habits of college students, the strengths and weakness of existing cooking and nutrition classes, and other factors relating to the college student's health. Based on this literature review it was determined that a culinary nutrition course is an appropriate way to introduce nutrition knowledge and cooking principles to facilitate healthy eating among college students. This intervention was delivered to four groups, and from those four groups the students participated in one of two interventions. The first intervention group (n=37) received the "traditional" culinary nutrition program, called Cooking with a Chef, delivered in person by a chef and nutrition educator. The second intervention group (n=33) received a "modified" Cooking with a Chef intervention delivered by a chef with the nutrition component delivered online. Two surveys were administered to assess the program. The first survey was delivered as a pre- and post-test, while the second survey, a delayed post survey, was given once, six weeks after the intervention was completed. From the comparison of the pre- and post-survey, both intervention groups significantly scored higher on the scales for Cooking Self-Efficacy (p=0.041), Cooking Techniques Self-Efficacy (p=0.012), Self-Efficacy for Fruits, Vegetables, and Seasonings (p=0.002), Knowledge of Cooking Terms and Techniques (p