Examining Cooking as a Health Behavior

NCT03783962 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: CHRBSS 19-0131
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 56
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The proposed pilot study will examine cooking as an intervention target for weight control in overweight adults. The study will also examine whether interventions designed to promote cooking at home can increase participants' sense of food agency, and overcome common barriers to cooking at home such as time scarcity and budget constrictions. The study will utilize a cooking pedagogy designed to not just teach participants the basics of cooking different foods, but how to be efficient, mindful cooks. If cooking class participation positively impacts diet and health outcomes, it will bolster the case for promoting cooking at home as a health behavior for multiple populations.

Conditions

Obesity

Keywords

behavioral weight loss intervention, obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Weight Change

  Weight loss from baseline at 24 weeks

  24 weeks

• Change From Baseline in the Total HEI Score, as a Measure of Diet Quality Change

  Difference in diet quality change between groups across assessments. Measured by Healthy Eating Index scores. The HEI includes 13 components that capture recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. There are two groupings of components: 1. Adequacy components are encouraged. Higher scores reflect higher intakes. 2. Moderation components should be limited. Higher scores reflect lower intakes. A higher total HEI score reflects higher diet quality as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Components are weighted equally and assigned a score of either 5 or 10. Scores as summed to determine total score. The minimum possible score is 0 and the maximum possible is 100. Adequacy Components: Total Fruits 5 Whole Fruits 5 Total vegetables 5 Greens and beans 5 Whole grains 10 Dairy 10 Total protein foods 5 Seafood and plant proteins 5 Fatty acids 10 Moderation Components: Refined grains 10 Sodium 10 Added sugars 10 Saturated fats 10

  Baseline and 24 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Cooking and Food Practices Change - Total Score

  24 weeks

• Cooking and Food Practices Change - Structure Subscale

  24 weeks

• Cooking and Food Practices Change - Attitude Subscale

  24 weeks

• Cooking and Food Practices Change - Self Efficacy Subscale

  24 weeks

• Cooking Frequency Change - Breakfast

  24 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Active Intervention - Cooking

EXPERIMENTAL

Twelve cooking classes will be run every other week after the in-person weight loss meetings. These lessons will be patterned after Dr. Amy Trubek's cooking pedagogy and will be tailored for individuals specifically interested in weight loss. Classes will begin with a brief lecture on the day's topic, followed by a laboratory session. Participants work in teams of two in the Nutrition and Food Sciences (NFS) foods lab to actively practice skills and cook a meal. Subjects will receive recipes and information sheets that cover pantry supplies, grocery lists, knife skills and cooking equipment. Classes will be taught by a chef trained in the pedagogy by Dr. Trubek and participants will have the opportunity to sample the food they prepared at the end of class.

Behavioral: Active Intervention - Cooking

Demonstrations - Cooking

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The demonstration condition will serve as an "attention only" control. Previous research suggests that demonstrations of cooking have little to no impact on cooking behavior, therefore, cooking demonstrations can be used to "even out" the time and attention devoted to the active cooking participants without introducing bias into the study design. Subjects in the demonstration condition will also begin with a brief lecture on the day's lesson followed by a cooking demonstration that covers the same topics as the active intervention group. All participants will receive the same printed information and also have an opportunity to sample the prepared food at the end of class. The demonstrations will be led by the same chef as the active intervention group.

Behavioral: Demonstrations - Cooking

Interventions

Active Intervention - Cooking BEHAVIORAL

Key behavioral strategies to facilitate making sustained changes in dietary habits and activity patterns are introduced, promoted and reinforced throughout the program. In-person sessions facilitated by an interventionist provide the group meetings. The program provides 24 weekly facilitated group sessions over 6 months. In addition to attending weekly classes, participants will track food intake, exercise, and weight. Participants will share online tracking diaries with the group facilitator who will offer individualized feedback on individual progress. Twelve cooking classes will be run every other week after the in-person weight loss meetings.

Active Intervention - Cooking

Demonstrations - Cooking BEHAVIORAL

The Demonstrations group will receive the exact same behavioral weight loss intervention as the cooking group. The only difference is that this group will attend cooking demonstrations as opposed to actively cooking.

Demonstrations - Cooking

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• only individuals who are cooking (from scratch) no more than 3 meals at home per week will be eligible.
• must have a computer or smart device with internet access (at home or work) in order to track their diet and exercise behaviors,
• potential participants will be required to demonstrate some ability to comply with study intervention procedures to be eligible (specifically, they must complete an online dietary self-monitoring diary for 3 days)
• must be at least 18 years old and have a BMI between 25-50 kg/m2
• must agree to be randomized to either study arm and available for both scheduled meeting times in person on the University of Vermont campus

You may not qualify if:

• pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 6 months or lactating
• physical conditions that would preclude exercise
• medication affecting weight loss
• currently enrolled in another weight loss program
• currently cooking more than 3 meals from scratch at home per week

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vermont: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont, 05405, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Mattie Alpaugh
• Organization: University of Vermont Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences

malpaugh@uvm.edu

8026569526

Study Officials

• Jean R Harvey, PhD, RD

  University of Vermont

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Chairperson, Professor, Associate Dean

Model Details: The Behavioral Weight Loss Program: Investigators have developed and implemented a theory-based group-delivered behavioral weight control program in two previous studies that incorporates the elements of current thinking and empirical data on successful weight loss programs, including restricted calorie intake and increased physical activity. In addition to attending weekly classes, participants will track their food intake, exercise, and weight. Participants will share online tracking diaries with the group facilitator who will offer individualized feedback on progress. The Cooking Program Active Intervention. Twelve cooking classes will be run every other week after the in-person weight loss meetings. Demonstrations. The demonstration condition will serve as an "attention only" control. All participants will have an opportunity to sample the prepared food at the end of class. The demonstrations will be led by the same chef as the active intervention group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2018
• First Posted: December 21, 2018
• Study Start: November 1, 2018
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2019
• Study Completion: September 30, 2019
• Last Updated: May 17, 2021
• Results First Posted: May 17, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)