Cooking Classes as a Family-based Intervention for Weight Reduction: Effects on Dietary Quality and Weight Management in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

Cooking Classes as a Family-based Intervention for Weight Reduction: Effects on Dietary Quality and Weight Management in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

The goal of this quasi-experimental interventional study is to learn if healthy cooking classes for home cooks can improve weight management and dietary quality among Emirati adults with overweight or obesity living in Abu Dhabi. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does participation in the culinary medicine program reduce body weight over time?
• Does the intervention improve diet quality and increase compliance with healthy home-cooked meals?
• Does the intervention improve health measures such as waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate?
• What are the experiences and satisfaction levels of participating family members and trained home cooks?

Participants will:

• Enroll in a 3-month family-based nutrition intervention program
• Receive meals prepared by home cooks trained in culinary medicine through the ICCA program
• Complete assessments before the intervention, during the intervention, and 3 months after completion
• Undergo measurements including weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate
• Complete questionnaires about diet quality, meal habits, and overall program experience

Inclusion Criteria:

• Emirati
• Based in Abu Dhabi
• Home cooked meals prepared by full-time home cooks who are certified in the ICCA Culinary Medicine course (post 4 weeks cooking training)
• Certified home cooks are residing with participant during the training and intervention
• Aged between 18 years and 60 years
• BMI between 28-40 kg/m2
• Participant and cooks being able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Body weight exceeding 220 kilograms at the time of recruitment
• Undergoing treatment for serious illnesses (active cancer), planned for surgery, interventional management, and immunomodulation
• Undergone surgery within 3 months prior to study recruitment, including bariatric surgery
• Enrolled in other lifestyle intervention programs