2 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Boston Medical Center (BMC) serves many underserved, low-income patients and has developed an innovative strategy to combat food insecurity including a preventative food pantry, a teaching kitchen, and a rooftop farm that provides fresh produce directly to the patients. The presence of this well-established, three-pronged approach places BMC in an ideal position to develop a nutritional education intervention that supports experiential learning in this high-risk population. For this first exploratory study, 75 enrolled participants will be given a free mobile application with recipes designed to build habits. Participants will cook at least three meals weekly for two months using the app. Self-reported survey data and activity on the app will be collected and used to assess the feasibility of teaching cooking skills through a mobile application.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate an afterschool program to teach nutrition through basic cooking skills. This after school extracurricular program increases the students' confidence, knowledge, and skills for cooking as one of the first steps for dietary improvement. In addition to the life lessons students learn during this class, they gain self-confidence and become self-sufficient culinary experts that are capable of educating their siblings, parents, and social circles. This research project will test the impact this program has on nutritional knowledge, culinary efficacy, and nutritional choices made in and out of the home. The Pink and Dude Chef Afterschool Cooking Program was developed through STRIDE (Science through Translational Research in Diet and Exercise at California Polytechnic state University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, CA. Hypothesis: Middle school students participating in the Pink and Dude Chef afterschool cooking program will increase nutritional knowledge, culinary efficacy, motivation to eat fruits and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable intake compared to an attention control group.