pink and dude chefs : the impact of an afterschool

nutrition education and culinary skills training

program for middle school students

Jacqueline Chen, Alyssa Vaziri, Stephanie Teaford & Aydin Nazmi

introduction results
ongoing
Childhood overweight and obesity 2008 2013 2014 2016
The efficacy of the PDC online
disproportionately impact minority 22 participants 23 participants 16 participants 32 participants training mechanism will be
groups. Increase in culinary Increase in nutrition Increase in
Increase in fruit evaluated, along with program
Nutrition education and culinary skills self-efficacy scores knowledge (p<0.0001) nutrition knowledge
preference (p=0.01). impact on instructorsand adolescent
development during adolescence may for cooking (p=0.005) and cooking skills (p=0.0002).
Non-significant participants in Northern Santa
contribute to reduced obesity risk. Non-significant (p=0.02). Non-significant
changes for vegetable Barbara County.
Afterschool settings represent changes for nutrition Non-significant changes in fruit and
preference, intake,
opportunities for prevention during knowledge, barriers, changes in culinary vegetable preference,
nutrition knowledge,
formative years. self-efficacy.
ac k n ow l e dg e m e n t s
and diet. and culinary self- and fruit and
The Pink and Dude Chefs (PDC) program vegetable intake. This project was generously
efficacy.
aims to increase nutrition knowledge funded by the Orfalea Foundation,
and culinary self-efficacy among middle s co r e s co r e
Vanderbilt University, and
school participants aged 11-14 y. 10 6
Fruit preference Vegetable preference Fruit & Vegetable California Polytechnic State
Intake
5 University. Special thanks to our
8
methods community partners in CA and TN.
4
From 2008-2016, 93 boys and girls living 6
in California and Tennessee participated 3
in the PDC program. 4
2
The curriculum was composed of 12 two-
2
hour sessions split between a classroom- 1

based lesson and a hands-on culinary 0 2008 2013 2014 2016 0 2013 2014 2016
practicum.
CHANGES IN CHANGES IN FRUIT AND
Topics included: NUTRITION KNOWLEGE VEGETABLE PARAMETERS
Kitchen and food safety
Nutrition label and recipe
comprehension
USDA MyPlate food groups co n c l u s i o n
Macro- and micronutrients Participation in Pink and Dude Chefs evidence suggests that empowering young
Meal preparation improved nutrition knowledge, preferences, people through nutrition education and
Data was gathered using comprehensive dietary habits, and culinary self-efficacy, with culinary skills may comprise a key element in
mixed methods assessments. some mixed findings partially attributable wider efforts to combat obesity.
to low statistical power. This, and broader