Abstract
Child obesity in the United States is at an all-time high, particularly among underserved populations. Home-cooked meals are associated with lower rates of obesity. Helping children develop culinary skills has been associated with improved nutrition. The purpose of this study is to report results from a scoping review of culinary education interventions with children from low-income families. Three databases and hand searches of relevant articles were examined. Retained articles met inclusionary criteria. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, as appropriate. A data extraction template was developed. Data were independently extracted and verified. Only nine out of 370 articles met the inclusionary criteria and were included in the review. Most interventions were school-based, used a quasi-experimental design, and recruited minority children. Children-only was the primary intervention focus. Primary outcomes were mostly psychosocial from child self-report. Most interventions focused on children only and were guided by Social Cognitive Theory. Most reported stakeholder involvement; however, type and degree varied. All had an in-person component; only one used technology. Few reported training program leaders. Culinary education programs for children from low-income families could benefit from a broader theoretical grounding, program leader training, and greater parental involvement.
Highlights
Child obesity in the United States is at an all-time high
The research question for this review was: what are the characteristics of culinary education interventions for children and/or their families living in low-income households? Two particular interests for this review were stakeholder involvement during program development and adaptations made to address the needs of low-income children and/or their families
Of the 9 studies, 7 recruited from schools with a majority of students eligible to receive free/reduced priced lunches; of the remaining two, one recruited from a school located in a low-income school district, and in the other study, families had to qualify for public assistance to be eligible to participate in the study
Summary
Child obesity in the United States is at an all-time high. Among 2–19-year-olds, 35.1% are overweight and, of these, 18.5% are obese [1]. Finding effective ways to overcome these disparities in obesity risk is a national health priority [4]. Not a prerequisite for a healthy diet [5], consuming home-cooked meals is associated with lower rates of obesity [6] and better diet quality in both adults and children [7,8,9,10,11]. Time spent on home food preparation has decreased [17], with fewer families preparing and consuming home-cooked meals [18]. Home food delivery is popular [19], with reasons ranging from not wanting to cook to saving time [20]
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