Nourish Clinical Trial (Nourish_CT)

Case Western Reserve University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Healthy; Nutrition

Treatments: Behavioral: Nourish intervention then no intervention; Behavioral: no intervention then Nourish intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06947954

CA2115405 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

STUDY20250330

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the research study is to learn more about the best ways to teach cooking and food skills to adults, and how cooking classes may help reduce one's stress and food waste, as well as improve their diet.

Full description

Currently, 12.8% of Americans experience food insecurity, and food insecurity is associated with elevated perceived stress. Food literacy is proficiency in food-related skills and knowledge, including food preparation and cooking skills, basic nutrition knowledge, and the ability to prevent food waste. Recent research conducted in Australia suggests that food literacy interventions are associated with improved food security. Traditionally food literacy interventions take a recipe-based approach to culinary nutrition and lack information about key components of food literacy, such as food storage and food waste reduction techniques. However, recent research by the PI contends that recipes may be difficult for food insecure individuals to implement at home, given the challenge of procuring ingredients, suggesting the need for a new approach. In addition, food insecure households face additional environmental challenges, such as owning fewer cooking utensils, compared to food secure households. Based on the Social Cognitive Theory, the Nourish intervention addresses these limitations by incorporating food waste reduction, food storage knowledge, and improvisational cooking skills (cooking with what you have on hand) into food literacy and culinary nutrition education, as well as providing key cooking utensils. Eventually, the study team plans to test the impact of the Nourish intervention on food literacy, perceived stress, diet quality and food security to determine if food literacy interventions can positively impact perceived stress, diet, and food security. The present clinical trial will test the effectiveness of the Nourish intervention on household food waste, diet quality, and food and cooking skills and behaviors.

Enrollment: 180 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 and over
• Ability to attend classes in person

Exclusion criteria

• Non-English speaking

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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180 participants in 2 patient groups

Nourish intervention then no intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects first participate in 9 weeks of weekly cooking classes, then no intervention for 9 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Nourish intervention then no intervention

no intervention then nourish intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects receive no intervention for 9 weeks, then participate in 9 weeks of weekly cooking classes.

Treatment:

Behavioral: no intervention then Nourish intervention