Nutrition from the kitchen: culinary medicine impacts students' counseling confidence

Culinary Medicine Experiences for Medical Students and Residents in the U.S. and Canada: A Scoping Review

PHENOMENON

Despite the importance of diet in the prevention and management of many common chronic diseases, nutrition training in medicine is largely inadequate in medical school and residency. The emerging field of culinary medicine offers an experiential nutrition learning approach with the potential to address the need for improved nutrition training of physicians. Exploring this innovative nutrition training strategy, this scoping review describes the nature of culinary medicine experiences for medical students and resident physicians, their impact on the medical trainees, and barriers and facilitators to their implementation.

APPROACH

This scoping review used the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist as guides. Eligible publications described the nature, impact, facilitators, and/or barriers of nutrition and food preparation learning experiences for medical students and/or residents. Additional inclusion criteria were location (U.S. or Canada), allopathic or osteopathic, English, human subjects, and publication year (2002 or later). The search strategy included 4 electronic databases. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and a third reviewer resolved discrepancies. The full-text review consisted of 2 independent reviews with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer or by consensus if needed, and the research team extracted data from the included articles based on the nature, impact, barriers, and facilitators of culinary medicine experiences for medical trainees.

FINDINGS

The publication search resulted in 100 publications describing 116 experiences from 70 institutions. Thirty-seven publications described pilot experiences. Elective/extracurricular and medical student experiences were more common than required and resident experiences, respectively. Experiences varied in logistics, instruction, and curricula. Common themes of tailored culinary medicine experiences included community engagement/service-based learning, interprofessional education, attention to social determinants of health, trainee well-being, and cultural considerations. Program evaluations commonly reported the outcome of experiences on participant attitudes, knowledge, skills, confidence, and behaviors. Frequent barriers to implementation included time, faculty, cost/funding, kitchen space, and institutional support while common facilitators of experiences included funding/donations, collaboratives and partnerships, teaching kitchen access, faculty and institutional support, and trainee advocacy.

INSIGHTS

Culinary medicine is an innovative approach to address the need and increased demand for improved nutrition training in medicine. The findings from this review can guide medical education stakeholders interested in developing or modifying culinary medicine experiences. Despite barriers to implementation, culinary medicine experiences can be offered in a variety of ways during undergraduate and graduate medical education and can be creatively designed to fulfill some accreditation standards.

Assessing nutrition literacy and nutrition counseling proficiency following an interdisciplinary culinary medicine elective

CONTEXT

Culinary medicine (CM) is a growing field of education that aims to bridge the gap between the clinical need for nutritional counseling and the lack of education on the topic. Healthcare professionals can aid in nutrition-related noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention by improving a patient's dietary behavior. However, the presence of nutrition education in healthcare curricula is lacking. Early evidence indicates that CM could address this gap.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are to determine if the provision of an interdisciplinary CM elective will improve student knowledge and confidence with counseling on nutrition and culinary principles, and to improve personal dietary habits of students.

METHODS

This was a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. First- and second-year osteopathic medical students (OMS) and nurse practitioner students were recruited to participate in a CM elective via email. Participants were excluded if they were not in good academic standing at their respective institutions. Twelve individuals (n=8 medical; n=4 nursing) were enrolled in the course. Participants completed pre- and postcourse surveys to determine changes in nutrition literacy (Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument [NLit42]), nutrition counseling proficiency (Nutrition Survey for Family Practitioners), and dietary quality (Automated Self-Administered 24-h dietary assessment tool; ASA24®). A two-sided, paired t test was conducted to determine changes in outcome variables.

RESULTS

All 12 participants completed the precourse assessments, and 8 participants completed the postcourse assessments. Culinary activity attendance was 94.5 %. Participants exhibited a statistically significant increase in their overall nutrition literacy scores after completing the CM elective (p=0.006). Literacy subcategories indicated that the improvement came from the participant's ability to understand household measurements (p=0.005) better. Increases in self-reported proficiency were observed for participants' confidence to counsel on nutrition and prevention/wellness (p=0.02) and macronutrients in health and food safety (p=0.01). No statistically significant changes in the personal dietary pattern or quality were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The interdisciplinary CM elective improved nutrition literacy and some aspects of counseling proficiency. Although small shifts in dietary variables were observed, the elective did not statistically improve participants' dietary pattern. However, some changes that were observed may lead to clinically relevant outcomes if maintained long-term. These findings are encouraging. Implementing CM as an educational tool could improve healthcare practitioners' ability to understand and counsel patients on nutrition to prevent the nutrition-related NCDs.

There and Back Again: A Forty-Year Perspective on Physician Nutrition Education

Medical education faces an urgent need for evidence-based physician nutrition education. Since the publication of the 1985 National Academies report "Nutrition Education in the United States Medical Schools," little has changed. Although several key efforts sought to increase nutrition content in undergraduate medical education over the past 40 y, most medical schools still fail to include the recommended minimum of 25 h of nutrition training. Without foundational concepts of nutrition in undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education unsurprisingly falls short of meeting patient needs for nutritional guidance in clinical practice. Meanwhile, diet-sensitive chronic diseases continue to escalate, although largely preventable and treatable by nutritional therapies and dietary lifestyle changes. Fortunately, recent recognition and adoption of Food is Medicine programs across the country increasingly connect patients with healthy food resources and nutrition education as core to their medical care, and physicians must be equipped to lead these efforts alongside their dietitian colleagues. Filling the gap in nutrition training will require an innovative and interprofessional approach that pairs nutrition with personal wellness, interprofessional practice, and community service learning. The intersectional benefits of connecting these domains will help prepare future physicians to address the social, behavioral, and lifestyle determinants of health in a way that recognizes nourishing food access as a core part of clinical practice. There are numerous strategies to integrate nutrition into education pathways, including didactic and experiential learning. Culinary medicine, an evidence-based field combining the culinary arts with nutritional science and medicine, is 1 promising educational framework with a hands-on, interprofessional approach that emphasizes community engagement. Advancing the critical need for widespread adoption of nutrition education for physicians will require support and engagement across societal stakeholders, including co-leadership from registered dietitian nutritionists, health system and payor reform, and opportunities for clinical innovation that bring this essential field to frontline patient care.

Evaluation of the reach and utilization of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Culinary Medicine Curriculum

Introduction

Despite the growing interest in "food as medicine," healthcare professionals have very limited exposure to nutrition as part of their training. Culinary medicine (CM), an evidence-based field integrating nutrition education with culinary knowledge and skills, offers one approach to fill this training gap. The American College of Lifestyle Medicine published a complimentary Culinary Medicine Curriculum (CMC) in 2019, and the objective of this study is to evaluate its reach and utilization, as well as to collect feedback from users.

Methods

Individuals who downloaded the CMC prior to March 1, 2022 (N = 6,162) were emailed an invitation to participate in an online, cross-sectional survey. The survey included both multiple choice and free-text questions about whether CM sessions were conducted, if and how the CMC was used, if and how it was modified for use, and additional requested resources. Free-text responses were inductively coded, and quantitative data was summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 522 respondents provided consent, indicated that they had downloaded the curriculum, and completed the survey. Of the 522, 366 (70%) reported that they had not led or created any CM sessions. The top-reported reason for not leading a session was lack of time (29%). The remaining respondents who did create a CM session did so across various settings, including academic, clinical, coaching, and other settings, and a variety of professionals delivered the CMC sessions, including physicians (50%), registered dietitian nutritionists (30%), and chefs (25%). The majority of respondents (81%) modified the CMC in some way, with many using the curriculum for guidance or ideas only. Patient education materials (66%) and cooking technique instruction videos (59%) were among top requested resources.

Discussion

The CMC is a versatile resource that can be successfully adapted for use across various settings and by various types of health professionals and practitioners. Future research should investigate whether training in CM results in improved health outcomes for patients/clients. The curriculum will continue to grow to address the needs of users by expanding to include more digital content such as curriculum videos and cooking technique videos.

University Students as Change Agents for Health and Sustainability: A Pilot Study on the Effects of a Teaching Kitchen-Based Planetary Health Diet Curriculum

Global dietary habits are one of the main drivers of climate change. At the same time, they contribute to 11 million premature deaths every year. This raises the question of how the urgently needed transformation of food systems can be realized. Regardless of their degree paths, all university students, in their role as potential future experts and leaders in their fields, can serve as important change agents in society. In this paper, we (a) introduce a university curriculum in a teaching kitchen setting that is based on the planetary health diet (PHD) of the EAT-Lancet Commission, (b) investigate its feasibility, and (c) analyze its effects on the planetary health diet literacy of a pilot cohort of university students enrolled in various degree programs. We developed seven flipped classroom teaching kitchen sessions based on social cognitive theory (SCT), each consisting of a one-hour seminar with student presentations on various nutrition- and sustainability-related key topics, followed by corresponding two-hour hands-on cooking classes. To assess feasibility, specific questions from the official teaching evaluation of the University of Göttingen were analyzed. Changes in self-assessed planetary health diet literacy were measured using a pre- and post-survey. During the pilot phase, 26 students successfully completed the course. A total of 25 participants responded to the teaching evaluation and expressed high satisfaction with the course, the learning outcomes, and the level of demand. A total of 26 participants completed the pre- and post-survey. At the post-intervention, the students rated their planetary health diet literacy as 21 to 98% higher than before their course participation. The findings of this pilot study indicate that the curriculum was well-received and feasible with the target group, and they demonstrate that the course participation increased the university students' self-assessed ability to disseminate strategies for more sustainable and healthy diets. Through replication at other universities worldwide, the teaching kitchen-based planetary health diet curriculum might foster a social shift towards healthier and more climate-friendly food systems.

Development of a Culinary Medicine Curriculum to Support Nutrition Knowledge for Gastroenterology Fellows and Faculty

Gastroenterologists encounter many nutrition-related disorders in their practice, yet the nutritional needs of patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) and liver disease are largely unaddressed by treating physicians, due to suboptimal nutrition education. To address this gap, we developed and piloted a culinary medicine course for a GI fellowship training program. The objective of this study is to describe the development, implementation, and acceptability of the course. A registered dietitian, a chef instructor, and a gastroenterology clinical professor trained in culinary medicine developed the four-class tailored curriculum and delivered the classes remotely. Each class had a theme related to commonly encountered GI disorders and included hands-on meal preparation, a nutrition lecture, and a patient case study discussion. Post-course feedback surveys were disseminated. Twenty-three GI physicians enrolled in the course and the attendance rates in classes 1-4 were 83%, 65%, 61%, and 48%, respectively. Among 15 completed feedback surveys, 80% reported that the class contents were either moderately or extremely useful and all endorsed the curriculum for other gastroenterologists. Future studies of culinary medicine programs tailored to medical specialties should identify strategies to maintain engagement and assess the impact on nutrition knowledge, competencies, and translation of these new skills to clinical practice.

The Time is Ripe: The Case for Nutrition in Graduate Medical Education in the United States

A poor-quality dietary pattern is a leading risk factor for chronic disease and death in the United States, and the costs of medical care continue to unsustainably rise. Despite this reality, nutrition training for physicians fails to adequately prepare for them to address the complex factors that influence diet-related disease. Expanding nutrition education for physicians-in-training is imperative to equip them for the growing demand of food is medicine services and is also supported by recent policy efforts in the United States as well as the governing bodies of graduate and undergraduate medical education. A multisector approach that links graduate medical education, clinical care delivery innovation, and health and food policy experts provides momentum to advance nutrition education as a core strategy for food is medicine expansion globally.

Culinary Medicine: Needs and Strategies for Incorporating Nutrition into Medical Education in the United States

In the past decade, medical education has increasingly incorporated evidence-based lifestyle interventions as primary strategies for preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases. This shift embraces the growing recognition of the significant impact of lifestyle on health outcomes, driving diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Now deemed "food is medicine" (FIM), diet-related interventions witnessed integration into healthcare systems and recognition in the United States' White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2023. As FIM gains traction, investigating optimal strategies for team-based education becomes essential. Healthcare teams need the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively administer FIM services and collaborate across disciplines, ultimately enhancing disease prevention, chronic disease management, health quality, value, and overall wellness. Culinary medicine (CM), a vital component of FIM, bridges nutrition education, pragmatic culinary skills, and conventional strategies to improve chronic disease management. CM involves experiential learning, imparts practical skills, and encourages behavior change by addressing food-related determinants of health and promoting equitable access. Teaching kitchens serve as physical or virtual learning spaces and as a didactic and experiential method (skills lab), playing a crucial role by integrating culinary, lifestyle, integrative, and conventional medicine. A growing number of medical schools in the United States and globally offer CM education via diverse methods including interest groups, electives, and specialty tracks, encompassing didactic sessions, hands-on kitchen education, and virtual teaching methods. Given the rising demand for CM programs, this article aims to describe, map, and compare existing CM education types in medical education. It provides actionable recommendations for medical schools to establish and expand CM programs by fostering service-learning partnerships, clinical innovation, and interdisciplinary research. As FIM gains prominence, cultivating a robust foundation of educational strategies is vital to ensure seamless integration into both medical education and collaborative medical practice.

Lifestyle Medicine: Prevention, Treatment, and Reversal of Disease

Lifestyle medicine (LM) expands the scope of preventive medicine by focusing on the promotion of healthy lifestyles while preventing, treating, and reversing the vast majority of chronic diseases caused by behaviors and environmental factors. LM focuses on six pillars-a plant-predominant eating pattern; physical movement; restorative sleep; management of stress; avoidance of risky substances; and positive social connections. Advances in LM competencies, education, certification, resources, and practice models are accelerating with a particular need and focus on underserved and most seriously impacted patients and communities. A comprehensive and integrated strategy addressing "whole person health" is emerging as a compelling framework for providers and health systems which combines a foundational commitment to prevention with a systematic approach to the actual and root causes of premature disease, disability, and death.

Enhancing Chronic-Disease Education through Integrated Medical and Social Care: Exploring the Beneficial Role of a Community Teaching Kitchen in Oregon

Teaching kitchens (TKs) are rapidly being utilized as models to integrate culinary education and chronic-disease education into healthcare settings. Our observational study details the structure and organizational processes (e.g., referral, services, medical and social care integration) of the Community TK at Providence Milwaukie Hospital in Portland, OR. We utilize electronic medical-record data from engaged TK participants (n = 3077) to evaluate between the association of engagement and clinical outcomes (e.g., HbA1c, blood pressure, weight and cholesterol). Mean baseline HbA1c of Highly Engaged TK patients with diabetes (n = 88) reduced from 9.8% to 8.6% at 6 months (p < 0.0001) and sustained significant reductions at 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months (p < 0.05). Highly Engaged patients with hypertension (n = 152) had significant, sustained reductions in blood pressure (p < 0.0001). Engaged patients in the same high-risk groups also had significant improvements in HbA1c and blood pressure. Both engagement subgroups had moderate improvements in weight change and cholesterol. This study shows promising associations of TK services that promote chronic-disease self-management with improved clinical outcomes among higher risk patients (e.g., high blood pressure, high HbA1c, high low-density lipoprotein) with different medical issues (e.g., diabetes, obesity) and social barriers (e.g., food insecurity).

Comparison of Effectiveness regarding a Culinary Medicine Elective for Medical Students in Germany Delivered Virtually versus In-Person

(1) Background: The Culinary Medicine elective at the German medical schools of the universities of Göttingen, Giessen, and Brandenburg is a teaching kitchen-based elective aimed at training medical students on how to improve patient counselling on nutrition and lifestyle medicine topics. This curriculum was either delivered virtually (2021) or in-person (2022/2023). Changes in teaching effectiveness were evaluated. (2) Methods: The elective included seven modules in the teaching kitchen for 3 h each. It consisted of a short introduction and a hands-on interactive cooking part illustrating important dietary principles in different disease groups. The elective was conducted virtually in 2021 in a fully interactive setup using videoconference tools. Students in this cohort attended from their private kitchens whereas students in the in-person cohort (2022/2023) attended the same classes in the teaching kitchen. Standardized comparative self-assessment questionnaires on counselling competencies, nutrition knowledge, eating habits, and mental well-being (WHO-5) before and after the elective were used to determine teaching effectiveness. Paired and unpaired t-tests were performed to evaluate results. (3) Results: A total of 70 students (mean semester 6.3) were included in the virtual cohort, and 80 students (mean semester 6.3) were in the in-person cohort. In both, counselling competencies on 25 nutrition and lifestyle medicine topics increased significantly. Significant changes also occurred in most nutrition knowledge categories. Subjective well-being as well as personal attitudes towards nutrition counselling in medical practice improved significantly during the elective. Healthy eating habits improved in both groups as students ate significantly less unfavourable foods. There were no significant differences between the two groups apart from minor differences in nutrition knowledge. (4) Conclusions: The elective in Culinary Medicine improved students counselling competencies, nutrition knowledge, attitudes, well-being, and eating habits with no relevant difference between virtual and in-person teaching.

Cooking up Change: DEIB Principles as Key Ingredients in Nutrition and Culinary Medicine Education

The integration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) principles into healthcare education is essential to ensure culturally sensitive and equitable healthcare delivery. In the domain of nutrition, food, and health, these principles are particularly vital, as diet and food choices are strongly linked to cultural identities and socioeconomic conditions. Despite a growth of DEIB initiatives in undergraduate and graduate medical education, there is a significant gap regarding guidelines for implementing DEIB principles in education around nutrition and food, including that for dietitians, allied health and medical professionals. A literature review was conducted, analyzing peer-reviewed articles and current practices in academic medical education to understand DEIB in nutrition, food, and health. The outcome was the creation of a three-tiered checklist titled "Checklist for Culturally Competent Education in Nutrition". It serves as a roadmap to cultivate culturally competent, equitable, and inclusive healthcare professionals that emphasizes avoiding bias, enhancing awareness, and building practical skills for DEIB implementation around nutrition.

Impact of a Teaching Kitchen Curriculum for Health Professional Trainees in Nutrition Knowledge, Confidence, and Skills to Advance Obesity Prevention and Management in Clinical Practice

Nutrition knowledge, confidence, and skills are thought to be important elements in the role of healthcare professionals in obesity prevention and management. The Upstream Obesity Solutions curriculum goes upstream with a multidisciplinary approach to supplement nutrition education among health professional trainees. Educational strategies of didactics, teaching kitchens, and service-based learning were employed for medical, dental, and nursing students and resident physicians. Pre/post participation surveys assessed knowledge, attitude, and practices; lifestyle habits; and culinary skills among 75 trainees in this cross-sectional descriptive study. There was variability in statistically significant improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and practices about obesity management and nutrition education, lifestyle habits, and culinary skills among learner groups.

Impact of Culinary Medicine Course on Confidence and Competence in Diet and Lifestyle Counseling, Interprofessional Communication, and Health Behaviors and Advocacy

Most physicians report inadequate training to provide diet and lifestyle counseling to patients despite its importance to chronic disease prevention and management. To fill the nutrition training gap, elective Culinary Medicine (CM) courses have emerged as an alternative to curriculum reform. We evaluated the impact of an interprofessional CM course for medical and health professional students who experienced the hands-on cooking component in person or a in mixed-mode format (in-person and via Zoom) at the University of Utah from 2019-2023 (n = 84). A factorial ANOVA assessed differences between educational environment and changes between pre- and post-course survey responses related to diet and lifestyle counseling, interprofessional communication, and health behaviors and advocacy. Qualitative comments from post-course surveys were analyzed on a thematic level. Students rated themselves as having greater confidence and competence in diet and lifestyle counseling (p < 0.05) and increased ability to prepare eight healthy meals (p < 0.05). Additionally, a Mann-Whitney two-sample rank-sum test was used to compare data from exit survey responses from medical students who took the CM course (n = 48) and did not take the CM course (n = 297). Medical students who took CM were significantly more likely to agree that they could counsel patients about nutrition (p < 0.05) and physical activity (p < 0.05). CM courses may improve students' confidence to provide diet and lifestyle counseling.

Physician-Chef-Dietitian Partnerships for Evidence-Based Dietary Approaches to Tackling Chronic Disease: The Case for Culinary Medicine in Teaching Kitchens

Since the middle of the 20th century, the American food environment has become increasingly ultra-processed. As a result, the prevalence of chronic, diet-related disease in the United States has skyrocketed. Meanwhile, physicians are still poorly trained in nutrition. A recent innovation that aims to address this is "culinary medicine" programming taught by teams of physicians, chefs, and registered dietitian nutritionists. Culinary medicine is an evidence-based, interprofessional field of medicine that combines culinary arts, nutrition science, and medical education to prevent and treat diet-related disease. It employs hands-on learning through healthy cooking and is typically taught in a teaching kitchen, either in-person or virtually. It can be dosed either as a patient care intervention or as experiential nutrition education for students, medical trainees, and healthcare professionals. Culinary medicine programs are effective, financially feasible, and well-received. As a result, healthcare systems and medical education programs are increasingly incorporating culinary medicine, teaching kitchens, and interprofessional nutrition education into their patient care and training models.

Culinary Medicine eConsults Pair Nutrition and Medicine: A Feasibility Pilot

The global impact of diet-sensitive disease demands innovative nutrition education for health professionals and widespread, reimbursable clinical models to apply nutrition to practice. Interprofessional collaboration across disciplines and the optimization of emerging telemedicine consultation strategies, including electronic consultation (eConsult), merge to deliver vital innovation in the delivery of nutrition-based clinical care. Aligning with an existing eConsult infrastructure in the institutional electronic health record (EHR), a physician-dietitian team developed a novel Culinary Medicine eConsult. During a pilot phase, the service was introduced to primary care clinicians, and a response algorithm for eConsults was created. During the 12-month pilot phase, the Culinary Medicine team completed 25 eConsults from 11 unique primary care clinicians with a 76% (19/25) insurance reimbursement rate. Topics varied from dietary strategies for preventing and managing common metabolic diseases to specific dietary influences on microbiome health and disease flares. Requesting clinicians reported time saved in their clinic encounters and high patient satisfaction with expert nutrition guidance. EConsults in Culinary Medicine promote the integration of interprofessional nutrition care into existing clinical structures and empower enhanced access to the vital domain of dietary health. EConsults deliver timely answers to clinical questions and create opportunities for further innovation in care delivery as communities, health systems, and payors seek solutions to the growing burden of diet-sensitive diseases.

Interprofessional Students' Perspectives on Culinary Medicine Training: Intentions from Plate to Practice

Purpose

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the impact a culinary medicine teaching activity had on interprofessional healthcare students' knowledge, confidence, and intent to apply practical dietary principles in practice.

Methods

Thirteen interprofessional students (n = 13) completed a 3-h, hands-on culinary medicine session focused on recipe conversion and nutritional coaching skills to modify a favorite comfort food into a significantly more nutritious, Mediterranean diet-based meal. Participants produced variations of a recipe to gain a deeper understanding of how diet modifications that consider both taste and nutritional value can treat health conditions. Pre- and post-session surveys were administered to evaluate participants' knowledge and intent to apply culinary medicine principles into their respective healthcare practices.

Findings

Students reported an increase in the belief that nutritional counseling should be included in routine appointments, as well as increased confidence in their ability to implement culinary medicine into practice. All students reported the intent to integrate culinary medicine into practice, and a likelihood that they would recommend culinary medicine training to other healthcare professionals.

Conclusion

Interprofessional students reported learning satisfaction throughout the hands-on, chef-led and faculty-facilitated culinary medicine teaching activity and found the nutritional content to be especially transferable to working with patients.

Nutrition education intervention improves medical students' dietary habits and their competency and self-efficacy in providing nutrition care: A pre, post and follow-up quasi-experimental study

Objective

Most doctors and medical students report inadequate competencies in nutrition care. We evaluated the impact of a nutrition education intervention on medical students' lifestyle habits, dietary diversity, nutrition care knowledge, attitude toward nutrition care, and their level of self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care.

Methods

All 2nd-year medical students were enrolled into a 5 week, 24-h nutrition education intervention that involved both deductive and practical sessions. Pre-, post and 4 weeks follow-up assessments were conducted.

Results

At post- and 4-weeks post-intervention the number of days participants consumed vegetables and engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity significantly (p = 0.003 and 0.002) improved respectively from baseline. Mean nutrition care knowledge scores of participants increased by 3.27 points (95% Cl: 1.98-4.56, p < 0.001) from 19.49 at baseline through to 24.78 post- and 22.76 4 weeks follow-up. No significant [X ( 2 ) 2 = 1.568, p = 0.457] change in mean attitude toward nutrition care score was recorded. Mean level of self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care improved significantly by 1.73 (95% Cl: 1.17-2.28, p < 0.001) at post-intervention and 4 weeks follow-up compared to the baseline scores.

Conclusion

The intervention improved the nutrition care knowledge, self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care as well as medical students' own consumption of vegetables, dietary diversity and their engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. However, continuous implementation of nutrition education interventions is needed to sustain these outcomes and further improve the nutrition education experience of medical students.

Uncovering culinary medicine research themes: Current status and future direction

Background: Culinary medicine (CM), an emerging discipline, is a novel approach that focuses on the art of food and cooking to prevent or improve health outcomes among chronic patients suffering from lifestyle diseases. The concept originated in the USA, gaining interest from scholars in medicine, nutrition, nursing, and the gastronomic discipline. Notably, in the last five years, there has been exponential growth in CM literature. In this regard, this study sought to examine the growth, performance and distinct research themes of CM literature over time. Methods: To achieve the study's objectives, this study employs descriptive, performance and bibliometric analysis. The descriptive analysis was applied to examine the growth of the CM literature since its emergence. The performance analysis was used to identify the most influential journals, articles, and authors in the CM domain. The bibliographic coupling analysis was adopted to discover the various research themes of the CM knowledge base. Results: This study identifies three stages of literature development: Early stage, modest growth stage, and emerging stage. Further, the results indicate that most of the studies on CM had been conducted in developed countries. Our findings reveal a clear interest in integrating the CM curriculum into medical/nutrition education programs in recent years. Additionally, the study discovers four distinct main research themes: knowledge assessment, impact measurement, acceptance and efficacy, and implementation of CM. Conclusions: These findings are helpful for scholars in medicine, nutrition, nursing, and gastronomy as they provide an overview of CM's development and research focus. Future studies could focus on expanding the geographical distribution of research on CM and further exploring the identified research themes to gain a deeper understanding of the potential of this approach for improving health outcomes among chronic disease patients.

Culinary Medicine as Innovative Nutrition Education for Medical Students: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Lifestyle-related disease substantially impacts health, but physicians lack adequate nutrition education to discuss behavioral change with patients. Many medical schools have developed culinary medicine programs as a nutrition education strategy, but common elements of success have not been defined.

METHOD

The authors conducted a scoping review of the literature on culinary medicine programs for medical students. They searched PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and MedEdPORTAL databases to identify English-language studies published between January 1, 2012, and October 15, 2021. Multiple search terms were used to identify medical student-focused culinary medicine programs. The authors focused inclusion criteria on medical student learners, curricular description, hands-on cooking components, reflection or application to patient care, and assessment. Additionally, the authors reviewed 2 online databases which list programs delivering culinary medicine education for U.S. medical students.

RESULTS

Authors identified 251 studies, of which 12 met inclusion criteria. These studies described programs that used a kitchen or similar space adaptable for food preparation to enable hands-on learning, and some programs provided opportunities for practical application. Most programs administered surveys to assess course impact, but the type of survey and cohort size varied. Culinary medicine programs for medical students varied in learner level, number of participants, course length and structure, and instructor background but consistently improved student knowledge in key areas of nutrition application and changed knowledge and attitudes about food and nutrition. Funding was often noted as a barrier to program sustainability. When funding source was provided, it derived from philanthropic or academic sources. When the authors reviewed the 2 online databases, they identified 34 programs offering medical student-focused culinary medicine courses.

CONCLUSIONS

As culinary education programs emerge across academic centers, standardizing programmatic and curricular elements, best practices, and assessment strategies will be vital for quality control, sustainability, and optimal population health impact.

A scoping review of nutrition education interventions to improve competencies, lifestyle and dietary habits of medical students and residents

We reviewed the available research and gave an overview of the effects of nutrition education interventions (NEIs) on medical students’ and residents’ knowledge of nutrition, attitudes towards nutrition care, self-efficacy, dietary practices and readiness to offer nutrition care. From 28 May through 29 June 2021, we searched Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane and ProQuest to retrieve 1807 articles. After conducting de-duplication and applying the eligibility criteria and reviewing the title and abstract, 23 papers were included. The data were descriptively and narratively synthesised, and the results were displayed as frequencies, tables and figures. Twenty-one interventions were designed to increase participants’ knowledge of nutrition-related topics, and eighteen studies found that nutrition knowledge had significantly improved post-intervention. Only four of the eleven studies that reported on attitudes about nutrition post-intervention showed a meaningful improvement. The self-efficacy of participants was examined in more than half of the included studies (n 13, 56⋅5 %), and eleven of these studies found a significant increase in the participants’ level of self-efficacy to offer nutrition care post-intervention. At the post-intervention point, seven interventions found that dietary and lifestyle habits had significantly improved. The review demonstrated the potential of NEIs to enhance participants’ dietary habits and nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy. Reduced nutrition knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy scores during the follow-up, point to the need for more opportunities for medical students and residents to learn about nutrition after the intervention.

Culinary Medicine Training in Core Medical School Curriculum Improved Medical Student Nutrition Knowledge and Confidence in Providing Nutrition Counseling

Background: Elective culinary medicine education has become popular to help fill important gaps in physician nutrition training. The implementation and outcomes among the inaugural cohort of medical students who received culinary medicine training as a required component of medical school curriculum at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are described. Methods: Following a series of elective pilot sessions, culinary medicine training was provided to all first-year medical students in the 2019-2020 academic year. The 3-hour training included evidence-based nutrition lecture, cooking simple recipes, and group discussion of the application to personal and patient care. Pre-/postsession questionnaires assessed nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes as well as nutritional counseling confidence. Paired t-tests estimated mean differences in outcomes pre- and posttraining. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Overall, 119 of 125 (95.2%) students provided pre- and posttraining outcomes data. All nutritional and patient counseling outcomes improved (P < .05). Themes of being better prepared to address healthy eating barriers in patient care and personal ability to make healthy dietary changes were noted in qualitative analysis. Conclusion: One session of culinary medicine training in core medical student curriculum was feasible and improved medical student nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes and confidence in patient nutrition counseling.

Interprofessional Culinary Medicine Training Enhanced Nutrition Knowledge, Nutrition Counseling Confidence, and Interprofessional Experience

Introduction: Culinary medicine training combining evidence-based nutrition instruction with experiential cooking application has improved nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the professional and personal lives of medical students. However, interprofessional culinary training remains largely unstudied among professional students who will be involved in collaborative patient care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an elective interprofessional culinary medicine course for students in the medical, pharmacy, social work, nursing, law, and dentistry schools at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Methods: The interprofessional culinary medicine course was offered in-person at the teaching kitchen of the Nova Institute for Health in 2020 and virtually in 2021 during the COVID pandemic. The training featured five workshops combining instruction in a variety of popular diets, cooking a meal inspired by the diet in focus, and group discussion. Paired t tests were utilized to evaluate changes in pre-/post-training nutrition and interprofessional experience outcomes. Linear regression models were constructed to compare outcomes between in-person and virtual delivery. Results: A total of 62 students participated in the culinary medicine training. Confidence in all nutrition knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as interprofessional experience outcomes, improved after the training (p < 0.05). Similar improvements were noted in most outcomes with in-person and virtual delivery in linear regression modeling. Discussion: Interprofessional culinary medicine training is feasible, and virtual delivery may help enhance replicability in other settings.

Impact of a Brief Culinary Medicine Elective on Medical Students' Nutrition Knowledge, Self-efficacy, and Attitudes

The aim of this study was to determine how a brief culinary medicine curriculum impacted medical students' nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy and to evaluate which parts of the curriculum students found to be most helpful. This preliminary intervention study enrolled participants in a 2-week culinary medicine elective course and measured pre- and post-elective. Students attending an Appalachian medical school (n = 16) participated in this study. Participants were surveyed on their nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy in providing nutrition advice, and attitudes towards use of nutrition in practice pre- and post-elective. Participants also completed elective evaluations following the course. Changes in mean outcome scores were measured pre- and post-elective using signed Wilcoxon tests. Alpha was set at .05. Frequencies of responses were calculated to determine which course components were ranked highest in their efficacy. Nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy increased significantly from pre- to post-elective (p < .0001 and p < .0001, respectively). Students valued the hands-on and culinary components of the course most. Results indicate that a brief culinary medicine curriculum can effectively improve medical students' knowledge and self-efficacy of nutrition counseling and that students prefer hands-on and applied learning when learning about nutrition.

Training of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists to Improve Culinary Skills and Food Literacy

OBJECTIVE

To understand if a culinary medicine training program increases food literacy, culinary skills, and knowledge among practicing registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN).

METHODS

Prepost study design evaluating pilot test of RDN train-the-trainer curriculum from September, 2019 to January, 2020.

RESULTS

On average, results indicate an increase in culinary nutrition skills (mean difference, 6.7 ± 4.4; P < 0.001; range, 10-30) and a significant increase in 5 of the 8 food literacy factors. Through process evaluation, RDNs rated the training as extremely useful to their practice (mean, 4.4 ± 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Registered dietitian nutritionist participants increased culinary nutrition skills with statistically significant scores across all individual measures. This study describes an RDN training curriculum in culinary medicine across a diverse group of practicing RDNs from a large county health care system. Culinary medicine shows a promising impact on promoting nutrition skills and confidence; however, it warrants further assessment.

Bringing the "Joy of Healthy Eating" to Advanced Medical Students: Utilizing a Remote Learning Platform to Teach Culinary Medicine: Findings from the First Online Course Based on the ACLM's Whole-Food Plant-Based Culinary Medicine Curriculum

Over 80% of chronic disease is caused by lifestyle practices, including an unhealthy diet. Despite this, most medical students in the United States graduate having received minimal nutrition education, guidance towards improving their nutrition, or skills needed to coach patients to adopt a healthier diet. This study aimed to educate fourth-year medical students in evidence-based knowledge regarding a delicious, whole-food plant-based diet while introducing practical culinary skills and patient coaching skills. We adapted an open-source culinary medicine curriculum designed for in-person teaching of pre-clinical medical students to provide a novel 1-month online elective to fourth-year medical students. We used a 26-item pre/post questionnaire to assess change in evidence-based knowledge regarding nutrition, culinary skills, patient coaching skills, and attitudes toward a whole-food plant-based diet. In addition, we reviewed narrative comments by the student participants, course directors, and medical-school administrators. Scores in all 4 domains were tested, and for all individual questions, they showed statistically significant improvement following the course. Most narrative responses were positive, and areas for improvement were also identified. We successfully adapted an open-source whole-food plant-based culinary medicine curriculum for advanced medical students into a 1-month elective taught on a virtual platform. This course filled a need for training in nutrition and counseling for these students as they start their professional careers.

Exploring culinary medicine as a promising method of nutritional education in medical school: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Dietary modifications are considered a first-line intervention for chronic disease management, yet graduating doctors still report not feeling competent to counsel patients on their diet. Research has focused on methods to address this shortfall in physician competency, including culinary medicine. Culinary medicine is an approach to education that involves hands-on food and cooking learning experiences to equip participants with tools for improving the nutrition behaviour and health of their future patients. Despite positive findings in the efficacy of these interventions, they differ markedly in approach and target, which therefore fails to provide adequate evidence that could serve to guide future culinary medicine interventions.

OBJECTIVE

A scoping review to synthesize the existing literature on culinary medicine interventions that are offered during medical training.

METHODS

Online databases were used to identify literature published prior to April 2022 that involve a hands-on culinary medicine component to nutrition and examine academic impact, feasibility and acceptability.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies met the eligibility criteria. Despite promising gains in nutrition knowledge, confidence and high acceptability of the programs, large variations exist in delivery method, setting, and course content between programs. There is a lack of program cost reporting and long-term follow up of participants, inconsistent evidence for improved nutrition attitudes amongst participants, as well as geographically limited adoption of such programs.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this research demonstrate a clear increase in interest in the use of hands-on culinary medicine programs as educational tools, evidence of feasibility in implementation, and improved student nutritional knowledge, skill and counseling compared to a traditional didactic curriculum. The quality of culinary medicine research studies is increasing and the aims of research are narrowing to focus on how culinary medicine can positively impact medical education. The findings from this review will aid in legitimising culinary medicine as an effective delivery method of nutritional education in medical programs.

Education Regarding and Adherence to Recommended Nutrition Guidelines among Dental Students

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) were developed to reduce or prevent many types of chronic illness, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Healthcare provider recommendations may be influenced by understanding of and adherence to the DGA, which may be incorporated into provider training, medical and dental clinical curricula—although few studies have evaluated adherence to the DGA among dental students. This approved retrospective study of voluntary student responses from a first-year dental school nutrition course included a short dietary and exercise survey administered as part of the DGA learning module. A total of N = 299 students completed the voluntary nutrition survey, yielding a response rate of 91.4%. Daily fruit and vegetable intake, dairy and whole grain servings among UNLV-SDM students were significantly lower than the DGA recommendations but higher than U.S. averages for 18–30-year-olds—although neither group met DGA recommendations. This study represents one of the first to evaluate the dietary intake of U.S. dental students for comparison with the DGA for positive health behaviors. These data demonstrate a lack of adherence to the DGA among highly educated dental students and the need for the curricular inclusion of diet and nutrition into the dental school curriculum.