(P21-29-26) Culinary Focused Nutrition Education to Promote Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Preliminary Results From the SPICE UP MyPlate Pilot Clinical Trial

Objectives: Taste is a key driver of food choice and intake, and emphasizing flavor and enjoyment in nutrition education may be an effective strategy to improve diet quality. The objective of the SPICE UP MyPlate pilot trial was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of culinary focused nutrition education to promote increased adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans compared to standard low-intensity care.

Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, generally healthy adults involved in meal cooking at home were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1) A culinary-focused group that received eight video-based modules focused on flavorful healthy eating over 12 weeks; 2) a standard education group that received a printed MyPlate resource. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the change from baseline in diet quality assessed with the Healthy Eating Index 2020 (HEI-2020). Secondary outcomes included changes in HEI-2020 component scores, food groups, body weight, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and program satisfaction. Participants attended two clinic visits (baseline and week 15) for assessment of outcomes. Linear regression and chi-squared test for proportions were used for statistical analyses.

Results: Participants were predominantly White (91%) and female (76%), with a mean age of 46 ± 8 years and a mean baseline HEI-2020 score of 59.41 ± 11.95 points (n = 55). HEI-2020 scores tended to decrease from baseline in both groups (Culinary:−1.62 points, 95% CI: -6.47, 3.23; Control −4.74 points, 95% CI: -9.68, 0.19), with no between-group difference in HEI-2020 score change (3.12-point difference; 95% CI −3.80, 10.04). No significant between-group differences were observed for HEI-2020 component scores, food group intake, body weight, or blood pressure. A higher proportion of participants in the culinary group reported a rating of “extremely satisfied” for program satisfaction (Culinary: 39.2%, Control: 7.7%, p = 0.04).

Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that culinary-focused nutrition education is feasible and acceptable, and this pilot work will inform protocol development for a larger, adequately powered trial.

Funding Sources: McCormick Sciences Institute