O26 Feasibility and Acceptability of BALANCE (Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education)

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Objective This study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of BALANCE (Bringing Adolescent Learners with Autism Nutrition and Culinary Education) in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a school setting. Use of Theory or Research The conceptual framework combines an approach to improve selective eating and other ASD-specific issues and social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs. Each of 8 intervention sessions has an activity linked to 1 or more SCT constructs, (eg, behavioral skills, goal-setting). Target Audience Adolescents with ASD aged 10-17 years with at least a third-grade reading level were recruited from a school for children with ASD. Twelve adolescents participated in October-December 2019. Program Description BALANCE consisted of 8 lessons: (1) Exploring taste, flavor, and texture; (2) Mealtimes and rules; (3) Food groups and nutrients; (4) Moderation; (5) New foods; (6) Cooking; (7) Fill and full; and (8) Sustaining healthy eating habits. Each lesson included interactive, group-based activities and tasting sessions, and was implemented in a 45- to 50-minute class period. Evaluation Methods Implementation and fidelity were measured using a checklist with items on adherence, quality, and exposure (dose delivered). Attendance was recorded. A focus group was conducted with students after Lesson 4, and Lessons 5-8 were revised based on their feedback. Results Lessons were administered with 100% adherence, high quality, and 100% exposure. On average, 11 students attended (ranged 10-12). Participants indicated that they liked small group activities and tasting sessions, and about half indicated that they made changes to their diet. Based on study findings, topics for Lessons 5 and 7 were modified to Beverages and Well-being, and weekly homework assignments were added. Conclusion BALANCE is feasible and acceptable in adolescents with ASD. Future research will examine parent and teacher feedback and test the efficacy of the intervention in a larger sample against a control group. Funding None.