Virtual Teaching Kitchen

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04509206
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: August 11, 2020
• Last Update Posted: October 8, 2021
• Sponsor: Boston University
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Boston University

Study Description

Brief Summary:

A novel way of delivering nutritional education is through experiential learning in a teaching kitchen setting. Studies have shown that patients with metabolic syndrome who underwent a series of classes that featured nutrition recommendations and cooking classes had improved cardiac health.

Boston Medical Center (BMC) serves many underserved, low-income patients and has developed an innovative strategy to combat food insecurity and its consequences. This includes a preventative food pantry, a teaching kitchen, and a rooftop farm that provides fresh produce directly to the patients. The presence of this well-established three-pronged approach places our institution in an ideal position to develop a nutritional education intervention that supports experiential learning in this high-risk population.

Given the increasing focus on providing remote experiences to minimize contact and risk of infection with Sars-COV-2, the investigators are proposing a study where patients can benefit from nutritional education virtually. Patients with food insecurity and metabolic syndrome who utilize the food pantry will be invited to an educational program conducted on zoom. The program will be run by a registered dietician and chef who will deliver education virtually. Data will be collected using surveys, phone interviews, chart review, and home monitoring to test both the feasibility of running such an intervention virtually and to explore whether attending this program improves cardiac health in patients.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Cardiac Health; Metabolic Syndrome	Behavioral: Nutritional education	Not Applicable

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 16 participants
• Allocation: N/A
• Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Other
• Official Title: A Virtual Nutritional Education Delivered Through a Hospital Teaching Kitchen : a Proof-of-concept Study
• Actual Study Start Date: September 28, 2020
• Actual Primary Completion Date: July 28, 2021
• Actual Study Completion Date: August 13, 2021

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Intervention; Subjects will undergo four nutritional educational classes, lasting 1 hour long, conducted over a two month period. These classes will occur on zoom and subjects will be located in their home.	Behavioral: Nutritional education; The curriculum for the four classes include understanding MyPlate guidelines, learn basic knife skills, meal prep, and plan, home farming and no-cook cooking.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. recruitment rates [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
   based on number of people invited to participate, number recruited and consented and number attended
2. retention rates [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
   based on attendance at each virtual educational session
3. facilitators for nutritional education [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
   information will be obtained through qualitative interviews
4. barriers to nutritional education [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
   information will be obtained through qualitative interviews

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. knowledge of healthy foods [ Time Frame: 12 months ]
   through qualitative interview
2. change in blood pressure (BP) [ Time Frame: baseline, up to 6 months ]
   Baseline BP will be extracted from medical chart. Subjects will be provided with a home BP cuff. BP measurements performed by the patient will be recorded on the BP app. The 6 month follow BP will be extracted from the medical chart if available.
3. change in blood glucose [ Time Frame: baseline, up to 6 months ]
   Baseline blood glucose will be extracted from medical chart. Subjects will use their own glucometer to measure their blood glucose. glucose measurements performed by the patient will be recorded on the glucometer. The 6 month follow blood glucose will be extracted from the medical chart if available.
4. change in hemoglobin A1c [ Time Frame: baseline, 6 months ]
   Baseline will be extracted from the chart and 6 month will be extracted from the chart if available
5. change in weight [ Time Frame: baseline, up to 6 months ]
   Baseline weight will be extracted from medical chart. Subjects will be provided with a home scale. weight measurements performed by the patient will be recorded on the scale app. The 6 month follow weight will be extracted from the medical chart if available.

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Users of the food pantry
• English speaking
• Must have one of following on their EPIC problem list (Diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia or obstructive sleep apnea)
• Must have documented measured blood pressure, weight, height in the 12 months prior to the intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with advanced dementia or uncontrolled psychiatric disease
• Non-english speakers since education delivered in the pilot in English
• Uncontrolled medical illness including hypertension, recent acute coronary syndrome, active malignancy or other condition that would make the subject unable to complete the study procedures

Contacts and Locations

Locations

United States, Massachusetts

Boston Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02118

Sponsors and Collaborators

Boston University

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Naomi M Hamburg, MD; Dept of Cardiology, BU School of Medicine

More Information

• Responsible Party: Boston University
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04509206
• Other Study ID Numbers: H-39597
• First Posted: August 11, 2020
• Last Update Posted: October 8, 2021
• Last Verified: October 2021

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• Plan to Share IPD: No

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Keywords provided by Boston University:

virtual nutritional education; teaching kitchen; food insecurity; zoom media

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Metabolic Syndrome; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases