P153 Affirming the Adolescent and Adult Framework for Ten Experiential Drivers of Behavior Change with Youth Engaged in Teen Battle Chef

Abstract

Background Behavioral nutrition research uses psychosocial theories to develop interventions, with less research on the delivery of interventions. To this end, in 2018 FamilyCook Productions (FCP) developed a framework with ten experiential drivers for culinary education that may enhance motivation and facilitate sustained behavior change. Objective To conduct a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews conducted in 2016–17 with alumni of FCPs Teen Battle Chef Program (TBC) to determine whether and how the alumni discussed the ten experiential drivers. Study Design, Settings, Participants Cross-sectional study with 30 alumni (6 months to 7 years post-program) of FCP's TBC. Interviews asked about the behavior change process (e.g., current behaviors, behavior changes post-program, motivations for change, and strategies to sustain changes). Measureable Outcome/Analysis The interview transcripts were analyzed by coding text aligned with each experiential drivers in the FCP framework. The research team established definitions, topics, and phrases for each experiential driver and also established inter-rater reliability for coding the interview text to the experiencial drivers. Results All ten experiential drivers were mentioned by at least two-thirds of interviewees. Drivers most frequently mentioned were: Challenge, discussed how they were pushed out of their comfort zone; Home Environment discussed family dynamics, home kitchen facilities, and access to healthy food; Peer Support participants explained how cooking and eating together created a level playing field; Skill Building through the program participants moved from ‘student’ to ‘teacher’; Skill Reinforcement how repetition built confidence to transfer classroom experiences to their lives; and Success through weekly sense of achievement. Less frequently cited were: Collaboration valued group over individual accomplishment; Palate Development discovered new flavors: Recipe Concepts moved beyond recipe driven cooking; and Celebration had fun while learning. The drivers were often discussed together and as interrelated with each other. Conclusion It is encouraging that the experiental drivers were discussed with specificity by the TBC participants. This sets the stage for further research on how to apply the FCP framework to support sustained behavior change. Funding Self-funded.