Healthy Meal Kits and Cooking Lessons for Food Insecurity Among Children

Overseen By Lauren Ciszak, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: MaineHealth

Disqualifiers: Food-restrictive diet, Anaphylactic allergy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 4 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if providing healthy meal kits and cooking lessons can reduce the negative effects of food insecurity, such as stress and family conflict, for children and their caregivers in rural Maine. Researchers seek to understand if delivering meal kits and offering cooking education through an app, known as "Meal Kit plus Mobile Culinary Medicine Education," can enhance diet quality and family well-being. Ideal participants are caregivers living in rural Maine who have recently experienced food insecurity and can receive meal deliveries. Participants will receive meal kits for four weeks and access a cooking education app, participating in virtual visits at the study's start and end. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to innovative solutions for food insecurity and improve their family's health and well-being.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this method is safe for families?

Research shows that meal kit delivery programs are generally safe and easy to use. Studies have found that both caregivers and children find these meal kits helpful for improving access to food and learning about nutrition. Importantly, no major problems have been reported from the meal kits themselves. Participants in these studies did not report any safety issues, and families facing food insecurity received the meal kits well. This suggests that the meal kits are safe for use in similar programs aimed at helping children with food insecurity. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores a unique approach to addressing food insecurity among children by combining meal kits with mobile culinary medicine education. Unlike standard food assistance programs that provide food without education, this method empowers families with both nutritious meals and the skills to prepare them through app-based cooking lessons. This approach not only aims to improve immediate access to healthy food but also to foster long-term healthy eating habits, potentially breaking the cycle of food insecurity. The integration of technology via an app makes the learning process accessible and engaging, offering a modern solution to a persistent problem.

What evidence suggests that providing meal kits and cooking lessons is effective for improving food insecurity and family function?

Studies have shown that meal kit delivery programs can effectively support families facing food insecurity. Research on children with obesity and food insecurity found that caregivers were very satisfied with meal kits, viewing them as a practical way to improve diet quality. Another study adapted cooking lessons for online delivery and found them helpful for teaching families to cook healthier meals. This trial will provide participants with 4 weeks of healthy meal kits delivered to their homes, along with culinary medicine education via an app. These findings suggest that meal kits, combined with cooking lessons, could effectively enhance food security and family well-being. ^{1 2 4 5 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Lauren Ciszak, MD

Principal Investigator

MaineHealth

Merelise Ametti, PhD, MPH

Principal Investigator

MaineHealth

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for families in rural Maine dealing with food insecurity. It's designed to help kids and their caregivers by providing healthy meal kits and cooking lessons via an app. To join, participants must be experiencing food insecurity and have the ability to receive and prepare meals at home.

Inclusion Criteria

Reside in rural county in Maine as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration

Endorse food insufficiency within the past month on their screening questionnaire

Able to speak and read in English

Exclusion Criteria

I follow a strict diet due to health reasons or personal choice.

A household member with any anaphylactic food allergy

No access to a smartphone with texting capabilities

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive a dietitian-designed meal kit with 10 meals per week for 4 weeks and culinary medicine education via an app

4 weeks

1 virtual visit at the beginning

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in food insecurity, diet quality, and family function

1 week

1 virtual visit at the end

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Meal Kit plus Mobile Culinary Medicine Education

Trial Overview The study tests if delivering dietitian-designed meal kits, along with mobile culinary education, can improve family functioning, reduce caregiver stress, and enhance children's mental health in food-insecure households.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Participants Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will receive 4 weeks of health meal kits delivered to their homes in addition culinary medicine education via an app. They will also participate in weekly as well as pre-and post-intervention assessments.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

MaineHealth

Lead Sponsor

Trials

76

Recruited

43,800+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Food insecurity affects nearly fifty million people in the U.S. and is linked to significant negative health outcomes, with food-insecure children being at least twice as likely to report poor health and 1.4 times more likely to have asthma compared to their food-secure peers.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays a crucial role in alleviating food insecurity, which in turn helps reduce adverse health effects, particularly among vulnerable populations like children and seniors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Food Insecurity And Health Outcomes. Gundersen, C., Ziliak, JP.[2022]

The Food As Medicine (FAME) initiative successfully engaged children in hands-on cooking and nutrition education, leading to increased enthusiasm for trying new foods and assisting with meal preparation at home.

The pilot program demonstrated that involving children in nutrition education can positively influence family dietary habits, encouraging healthier eating practices among low-income families.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Food as Medicine: A Pilot Nutrition and Cooking Curriculum for Children of Participants in a Community-Based Culinary Medicine Class. Marshall, H., Albin, J.[2021]

Citations

1. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/healthy-meal-kits-and-cooking-lessons-for-food-insecurity-among-children-7e95b

Healthy Meal Kits and Cooking Lessons for Food Insecurity ... What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Meal Kit plus Mobile Culinary Medicine Education for addressing food insecurity among children?

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11006563/

Satisfaction with a meal kit delivery program and feasibility ... The primary purpose of this phase I randomized, crossover trial was to assess the safety, acceptability, and satisfaction of a meal kit delivery program.

3. wunderfull-lab.org wunderfull-lab.org/s/Wu-et-al-Satisfaction-with-a-meal-kit-delivery-program_Ped-Obes_2024.pdf

Satisfaction with a meal kit delivery program and feasibility ... Conclusion: A meal kit delivery intervention for children with obesity and food inse- curity is acceptable and a phase I randomized, crossover trial is feasible ...

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38439559/

Satisfaction with a meal kit delivery program and feasibility of ... The study assessed meal kit delivery for children with obesity and food insecurity. Caregivers were satisfied, and the intervention was acceptable and feasible.

5. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1383621/full

A virtual culinary medicine intervention for ethnically ... The purpose of this study is to describe the adaptation of the Nourishing the Community through Culinary Medicine (NCCM) program for virtual delivery.

6. healthcarexfood.org healthcarexfood.org/en/knowledge-hub/publication-hub/caregiver-and-pediatrician-perspectives

Caregiver and pediatrician perspectives on a meal kit ... Caregivers found the meal kits easy to use and beneficial for improving food security and nutrition education. Insufficient food quantity and lack of ...