Evaluating the effectiveness of cooking classes tailored to low-income individuals

Description: Evaluation of the “Let's Cook!” cooking class sought to determine the productiveness of a cooking class geared towards low income residents. Pre and post surveys were developed and administered to participants. Methods: Participants (n=25) were asked to fill out a pre survey in order to gage their awareness of important nutritional information; at the conclusion of the program, participants filled out a post survey. Areas of weakness were presented to the director of Elijah's Promise in the form of recommendations going forward. Lessons Learned: Respondents of surveys indicated an increased awareness of topics relating to nutrition. Topics of improvement included an increased awareness of buying produce in season (17% increase), purchasing alternatives with less sugar (24% increase), fat (59% increase), and sodium (33% increase) and an improved comfort level in cutting up a whole chicken, P value=.034. Recommendations: Based on the findings that "Let's Cook!" provides an outlet for residents to learn how to cook healthy on a budget, Elijah's promise should continue with the use of tailored cooking classes. Although the evaluation is limited by the case study aspect of the study, including a small sample size, lack of a comparison group, and cannot be generalized beyond Elijah's Promise, the study can inform future evaluations of similar projects. It is recommended that further research with larger and diverse samples be conducted. Positive findings support future work. Moreover, the project supports broader literature which indicates that in order to create a lifestyle change, curriculum and teaching must be comprehensive.