CHEF-ED Study

Description

Cooking HEalthy and Facilitating Early childhood Development Study (CHEF-ED Study)

We are looking for parents interested in learning about healthful cooking and improving their child’s diet quality.

Why is this important?

Many children’s diets do not follow the USDA Dietary Guidelines, increasing their risk for chronic diseases later in life. Early eating habits often persist into adulthood making nutrition education critical for lifelong health. Home cooking supports healthier eating and family bonding, but declining cooking skills and limited access to in-person programs highlight the need for more accessible solutions to teach these skills.

Purpose and Goals

To overcome these challenges, our research team developed the online CHEF-ED program. CHEF-ED focuses on healthy cooking, positive feeding habits, and involving kids in meal preparation. The program provides parents with tips on how to improve the healthfulness of their cooking practices and include their children during food preparation. Through this study, we aim to test how helpful the CHEF-ED program is for parents of young children.

Duration

Participation in the study lasts about three months and is done entirely online.

Study Activities

Complete two sets of surveys:

First at the start of the study
Second about 8-10 weeks later

After the first set of surveys, you will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. Depending on group assignment, you will receive the following at different times during the study period:

The online CHEF-ED program (videos, infographics, and recipes)
Cooking ingredients delivered to you

Eligibility

Parents who have a child ages 3 to 5 years old, living in the Houston and surrounding areas. Must be willing to complete online surveys at two different occasions, and participate in the study according to their group assignment. English and Spanish available.