Nourish Intervention for Nutrition

(Nourish_CT Trial)

Overseen By Melissa Prescott, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Case Western Reserve University

Disqualifiers: Non-English speaking

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 9

180 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how cooking classes, known as the Nourish Intervention, can help adults improve their diet, reduce stress, and cut down on food waste. Participants will either start with nine weeks of cooking classes or begin with a nine-week period without classes, then switch. English-speaking adults who can attend in-person classes may find this trial suitable. As an unphased trial, it offers participants the chance to contribute to innovative research on lifestyle improvements.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

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

What prior data suggests that this intervention is safe?

Studies have shown that the Nourish Intervention, which includes cooking classes, is safe for participants. Previous research reported no serious side effects from these classes. The program aims to improve diet, reduce stress, and cut down on food waste. Participants learn cooking skills and receive food bundles and kitchen tools, which they find beneficial. As this program is educational and not a medical treatment, the risk of harm remains low. Past studies have shown no safety concerns, making it a safe option for those interested in joining. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Nourish Intervention because it takes a hands-on approach to improving nutrition through weekly cooking classes. Unlike traditional dietary advice that often involves simply providing guidelines or meal plans, this intervention actively engages participants in learning how to prepare nutritious meals themselves. This method not only empowers individuals with practical cooking skills but also promotes sustainable, long-term dietary changes by making healthy eating more accessible and enjoyable. By focusing on education and skill-building, the Nourish Intervention has the potential to create lasting impacts on participants' eating habits and overall health.

What evidence suggests that the Nourish Intervention could be effective for improving diet and reducing stress and food waste?

Research has shown that cooking and nutrition classes can improve diet and health. In this trial, participants will experience the Nourish Intervention, which includes weekly cooking classes. A study in Australia found that these classes helped people learn more, gain self-control, and feel more confident about making healthy food choices. Another study found that people ate healthier after joining similar programs. These classes often teach cooking skills and help reduce food waste. Overall, learning to cook and understand nutrition better helps people eat healthier and manage stress. ^{3 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Melissa Prescott, PhD

Principal Investigator

Case Western Reserve University

Brenna Ellison, PhD

Principal Investigator

Purdue University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

The Nourish Clinical Trial is for healthy adults interested in learning cooking and food skills. The study aims to see if these classes can help improve diet, reduce stress, and decrease food waste.

Inclusion Criteria

I can attend classes in person.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Measurement

Participants measure food waste volume for 1 week prior to randomization

1 week

Nourish Intervention

Participants attend weekly cooking classes focusing on food literacy, food waste reduction, and cooking skills

9 weeks

9 visits (in-person)

No Intervention

Participants do not receive any intervention

9 weeks

Follow-up

Participants measure food waste volume for 1 week to assess changes post-intervention

1 week

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Nourish Intervention

Trial Overview Participants will receive the 'Nourish intervention', which includes cooking classes, then experience a period with no intervention—or vice versa—to compare changes in their dietary habits, stress levels, and food wastage.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: no intervention then nourish intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Subjects receive no intervention for 9 weeks, then participate in 9 weeks of weekly cooking classes.

Group II: Nourish intervention then no intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Subjects first participate in 9 weeks of weekly cooking classes, then no intervention for 9 weeks.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Case Western Reserve University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

314

Recruited

236,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) called NOURISH-T aims to reduce overweight and obesity rates among pediatric cancer survivors (PCS) by targeting their caregivers to promote healthier eating and physical activity, focusing on children aged 5-12 who are 6 months to 4 years off active treatment.

The intervention adapts an existing program, NOURISH, which has previously been effective in reducing BMI in overweight children, and will assess its preliminary efficacy compared to Enhanced Usual Care over a 6-week period, with follow-up assessments at 4 months.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Design and rationale for NOURISH-T: a randomized control trial targeting parents of overweight children off cancer treatment. Stern, M., Ewing, L., Davila, E., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-nutrition-3-2025-0fe34

Nourish Intervention for Nutrition (Nourish_CT Trial) The Nourish Clinical Trial is for healthy adults interested in learning cooking and food skills. The study aims to see if these classes can help improve diet, ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666149724000288

Examining the long-term effectiveness of a culinary ... A culinary nutrition intervention study conducted in Australia demonstrated favorable outcomes in children's knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-control at a 3- ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8556291/

The Nourish Protocol: A digital health randomized ... The primary outcome of the trial is 6-month changes in adherence to the DASH eating pattern, as measured by 24-hour dietary recalls. Discussion. Millions of ...

4. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2025.2526680?af=R

The effectiveness of online culinary nutrition courses on ... To review the impact of culinary nutrition interventions delivered online, in improving participants' cooking and/or food skills.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11362094/

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. cdn.clinicaltrials.gov cdn.clinicaltrials.gov/large-docs/97/NCT06398197/ICF_000.pdf

Nourish: A Pilot Study and Co-Design NCT Number: ... Nourish Cooking Class: The cooking class consists of eight 90 minute Nourish cooking classes. These cooking classes will take place in the ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8077729/

Design and Rationale for NOURISH-T: A Randomized Control ... Data Management and Safety Monitoring Plan. Data will be centrally managed in a USF web-based master database so that USF and UP investigators can access the ...

8. conservefood.org conservefood.org/2025/07/25/building-food-skills-to-improve-health-and-reduce-waste-an-inside-look-at-the-nourish-trial/

Building Food Skills to Improve Health and Reduce Waste The Nourish program is a 9-week program that builds food skills, provides food bundles and cooking gadgets, and participants practice cooking ...