O0197 Oct.4: 3:16pm - Teaching a Man to Fish: Culinary Medicine for Pediatric Residents

Background: Food choices have a lifetime role in the development and prevention of chronic disease. Studies, however, have shown that the majority of physicians, 79%, do not feel confident providing nutrition education to their patients. Evidence suggests making healthful food choices, and knowledge of food preparation are correlated behaviors. Supported by this evidence and as a means of addressing the aforementioned gap, UCLA's Upstream Obesity Solutions developed a teaching kitchen model to support the academic training for health professional trainees.

Objective: UCLA's Upstream Obesity Solutions program implemented the teaching kitchen model as part of a multidisciplinary educational curriculum for pediatric residents. In conjunction with the curriculum, delivery of the model aimed to: 1) equip residents with foundational culinary and nutrition skills and 2) change attitudes and practices related to their own eating, and approach to counseling patients.

Methods: A series of three teaching kitchen, TK, classes were delivered to 17 pediatric residents and two 4th year medical students in the Fall of 2019 over a two-week period. The classes discussed major nutrients - sugar, sodium, and fat - and their association with pediatric obesity and its comorbidities, as well as equipped residents with evidence-based nutrition education strategies. Using the train-the-trainer model, upon completion of the TK sessions, residents led a cooking lesson for patients and their parents using a teaching kitchen located within a pediatric waiting room at a federally qualified health center. Surveys were used to evaluate the impact of the model on culinary skills, nutrition literacy, and self-efficacy and practices in nutrition counseling. In addition, parent surveys were used to assess satisfaction with the resident led cooking lesson. Surveys were administered the first and last TK sessions. SAS 9.4 was used to draw comparisons between pre and post questionnaire mean scores. Satisfaction surveys were also administered to patients' families at the conclusion of resident led cooking sessions.

Results: 16 residents completed the pre and post survey questionnaires. Residents reported significant improvement (p <0.05) in areas of nutrition literacy, confidence in cooking skills, and confidence in nutrition counseling. A total of eight families completed a satisfaction survey after participating in a teaching kitchen lesson lead by the pediatric residents. All of the parent respondents (100%) reported very high or high levels of satisfaction to pediatric residents delivering cooking classes to patients.

Conclusion: The Teaching Kitchen Model can enhance pediatric residents' nutrition literacy, confidence in cooking skills, and confidence in nutrition counseling. Additionally, nutrition education delivered by pediatric residents to patients can elicit positive responses by families.