Teaching a Man to Fish: An Evaluation of a Chronic Disease Management Men’s Cooking Class
Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
11 January 2022
Abstract
There is limited data on the effects of cooking classes on male participants. The LiveWell Chronic Disease Management program’s Men’s Cooking Class (MCC) aims to help participants gain skills and confidence with food to manage chronic diseases more independently and improve their health. This paper evaluates whether, and how, the program is effective in achieving its goals.
A qualitative process was used to collect data from past program participants. Data collection included telephone interviews conducted with a sample of 27 past MCC attendees and a focus group held with a subsample of seven participants. Thematic analysis was performed on collected data.
Five major themes emerged, including (i) practical and applicable content, (ii) kinesthetic teaching and learning, (iii) catering to the interests of participants, (iv) tailoring to the demographic, and (v) enjoyment and engagement. Findings indicate the current LiveWell MCC program is effective in meeting its goals. The themes identified are aspects of the program that contribute to this effectiveness.
The thematic findings indicate areas in which to continuously adapt and monitor the effectiveness of this program and serve as recommendations for other programming. Further research on the long-term impact of MCC for self-management of chronic disease is needed.
Résumé
Il existe peu de données sur les effets des cours de cuisine sur les participants masculins. Les cours de cuisine pour hommes (CCH) du programme de gestion des maladies chroniques de LiveWell offrent aux participants d’acquérir des compétences et de bâtir leur confiance en matière d’alimentation afin de gérer des maladies chroniques de manière plus indépendante et d’améliorer leur santé. Cet article évalue l’efficacité du programme à atteindre ses objectifs et la façon d’y parvenir.
Un processus qualitatif a été utilisé pour recueillir des données auprès d’anciens participants au programme. La collecte de données s’est faite dans le cadre d’entrevues téléphoniques menées auprès d’un échantillon de 27 anciens participants aux CCH et d’un groupe de discussion avec un sous-échantillon de 7 participants. Les données recueillies ont fait l’objet d’une analyse thématique.
Cinq thèmes principaux sont ressortis, notamment (i) contenu pratique et applicable, (ii) enseignement et apprentissage kinesthésiques, (iii) prise en compte des intérêts des participants, (iv) adaptation à la démographie, et (v) plaisir et engagement. Les résultats indiquent que le programme actuel de CCH de LiveWell atteint efficacement ses objectifs. Les thèmes soulevés sont des aspects du programme qui contribuent à cette efficacité.
Les conclusions thématiques dévoilent les volets de ce programme qu’il faut continuellement adapter et dont il faut surveiller l’efficacité. Elles servent également de recommandations pour d’autres programmes. Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour déterminer l’impact à long terme des CCH sur l’autogestion de maladies chroniques.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Financial support: The LiveWell program in the former Saskatoon Health Region provided funding for refreshments for focus group research participants.
Conflict of interest: Chrissa Karagiannis, Allison Cammer, Emily Andreiuk, Nicole Dyck, and Michele Sheikh have no disclosures. Rochelle Anthony and Karen Davis were employed by the Chronic Disease Management through which Men’s Cooking Class is offered.
References
1
Vidgen H and Gallegos D. Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite. 2014 May;76:50–59.
2
Hutchinson J, Watt JF, Strachan EK, and Cade JE. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Ministry of Food cooking programme on self-reported food consumption and confidence with cooking. Public Health Nutr. 2015 Jul;19(18): 3417–3427.
3
Wrieden WL, Anderson AS, Longbottom PJ, Valentine K, Stead M, Caraher M, et al. The impact of a community-based food skills intervention on cooking confidence, food preparation methods and dietary choices—an exploratory trial. Public Health Nutr. 2007 Feb 10;10(2):203–211.
4
Ducrot P, Mejean C, Aroumougame V, Ibanez G, Alles B, Kesse-Guyot E, et al. Meal Planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017 Feb 2; 14(1):22.
5
Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition. Food Skills Background. 2014. [cited 2020 June 19] Available from https://www.pennutrition.com/KnowledgePathway.aspx?kpid=22933&trid=22982&trcatid=38
6
Reicks M, Trofholz AC, Stang JS, and Laska MN. Impact of Cooking and Home Food Preparation Interventions Among Adults: Outcomes and Implications for Future Programs. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014 April;46(4): 259–276.
7
Nutbeam D, Bauman A. Evaluation in a nutshell: A practical guide to the evaluation of health promotion programs. R. Matheson Editor. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd; 2011.
8
Sagoe D. Precincts and Prospects in the Use of Focus Groups in Social and Behavioral Science Research. Qual Rep. 2012;17(29):1–16.
9
Lewis CJ and Yetley EA. Focus group sessions on formats of nutrition labels. J Am Diet Assoc. 1992;92(1):62–66.
10
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Internet]. 2009. Analyzing Qualitative Data for Evaluation [cited 2021 May 6]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief19.pdf
11
Stead M, Caraher M, Wrieden W, Longbottom P, Valentine K, and Anderson A. Confident, fearful and hopeless cooks: Findings from the development of a food-skills initiative. Br Food J. 2004;106(4):274–287.
12
McGowan L, Pot GK, Stephen AM, Lavelle F, Spence M, Raats M, et al. The influence of socio-demographic psychological and knowledge-related variable alongside perceived cooking and food skills abilities in the prediction of diet quality in adults: a nationally representative cross-sectional study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Ac. 2016 Oct;13(1):111.
13
Potts DA and Davis OF. Making education stick! J Emerg Nurs. 2009 Jul;35(4):375–378.
14
National Food Service Management Institute [Internet]. 2013. Adult learning online course workbook [cited 2021 May 6]. Available from: http://nfsmi-web01.nfsmi.olemiss.edu/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20130228091007.pdf
15
Embuldeniya G, Veinot P, Bell E, Bell M, Nyhof-Young J, Sale JEM, et al. The experience and impact of chronic disease peer support interventions: A qualitative synthesis. Patient Educ Couns. 2013 Jul;92(1):3–12.
16
Hartmann C, Dohle S, and Siegrist M. Importance of cooking skills for balanced food choices. Appetite. 2013 Jun; 65:125–131.
17
Adams J, Goffe L, Adamson AJ, Halligan J, O’Brien N, Purves R, et al. Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of cooking skills in UK adults: cross-sectional analysis of data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015 Aug;12(99).
18
Farahmand M, Amiri P, Tehrani F, Momenan A, Mirmiran P, and Azizi F. What are the main barriers to healthy eating among families? A qualitative exploration of perceptions and experiences among Tehranian men. Appetite. 2015 Jun;89(1):291–297.
19
Herbert J, Flego A, Gibbs L, Waters E, Swinburn B, Reynolds J, et al. Wider impacts of a 10-week community cooking skills program- Jamie’s Ministry of Food, Australia. BMC Public Health. 2014 Dec; 14(1161).
20
Armstrong P. [Online] You’re having a laugh! Learning as fun. Paper presented at SCUTREA 32nd Annual Conference, July 2002, University of Stirling. 2002. [cited 2021 May 6]. Available from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002057.htm.
21
Lucardie D. The impact of fun and enjoyment on adult’s learning. Procedia Soc Behav Sci. 2014;142:439–446.
22
Lambert ST and Loiselle C. Combining individual interviews and focus groups to enhance data richness. J Adv Nurs. 2008 May;62(2):228–237.
23
Pratkanis A and Turner ME. [Online]. Methods for counteracting groupthink risk: A critical appraisal. Int J Risk Conting Manag. 2013 Oct;2(4).
24
Burke LA and Miller MK. Phone Interviewing as a Means of Data Collection: Lessons Learned and Practical Recommendations. Forum Qual Soc Res. 2001 May;2(2).
Supplementary Material
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 83 • Number 2 • June 2022
Pages: 86 - 90
Editor: Naomi Cahill
History
Version of record online: 11 January 2022
Copyright
© 2022.
Key Words
Mots-clés
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Other Metrics
Citations
Cite As
ChrissaKaragiannisB.Sc, RD, AllisonCammerPhD, RD, EmilyAndreiukB.Sc, RD, NicoleCaronB.Sc, RD, MicheleSheikhB.Sc, RochelleAnthonyB.Sc, RD, and KarenDavisB.Sc, HEc. MCEd., RD. 2022. Teaching a Man to Fish: An Evaluation of a Chronic Disease Management Men’s Cooking Class. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research.
83(2): 86-90. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2021-038
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
There are no citations for this item
View Options
Get Access
Login options
Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Subscribe
Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
