Virtual Teaching Kitchen

A Virtual Nutritional Education Delivered Through a Hospital Teaching Kitchen : a Proof-of-concept Study

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.

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.

The curriculum for the four classes include understanding MyPlate guidelines, learn basic knife skills, meal prep, and plan, home farming and no-cook cooking.

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.

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.

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.

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