Impact and evaluation of an online culinary nutrition course for health, education and industry professionals to promote vegetable knowledge and consumption.

Background: Poor diet, including inadequate vegetable intake, is a leading risk factor for noncommunicable disease. Culinary and nutrition education provided to trainee and practising health and education professionals is an emerging strategy to promote improved dietary intake, including vegetable consumption. We evaluated the impact and feasibility of an online culinary medicine and nutrition (CM/CN) short course for health, education and vegetable industry professionals. The course aimed to improve participants' skills and confidence to prepare vegetables, knowledge of evidence‐based nutrition information and recommendations for improving vegetable consumption and diet quality. Methods: A pre–post study consisting of two separate groups participating in two course rounds recruited practising professionals (n = 30) working in health; community, adult and/or culinary education; and the vegetable industry. Evaluation assessed diet quality, vegetable consumption barriers, cooking and food skill confidence, nutrition knowledge and process measures. Results: Seventeen participants (68%) completed the programme. Pre‐ to postintervention statistically significant increases in vegetables (M 1.3, SD 2.2), fruit (M 1.6, SD 3.1), and breads and cereal (M 1.1, SD 1.7) intakes were observed. Statistically significant increases and large effect sizes for mean food skill confidence scores (M 8.9, SD 15.4, Cohen's d 0.56) and nutrition knowledge scores (M 6.2, SD 15.4, Cohen's d 0.83) were also observed pre‐ to postintervention. Conclusions: The short online course was feasible and improved diet quality, food skill confidence and nutrition knowledge. Online CM/CN education for practising professionals represents a promising area of research. Future research involving a larger study sample and a more rigorous study design such as a randomised control trial is warranted. Key points: The online asynchronous course was feasible to run and well received by health, education and vegetable industry professionals.After completing the 5‐week online culinary nutrition course, participants had increased vegetable intake, bread and cereal intake, food skill confidence and nutrition knowledge.Findings indicate larger studies, with randomised control trial design, and that examine the impact on professionals' patients, clients and students are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]