A Novel Method to Evaluate Cooking Skills: Determining the Efficacy of a Peer-to-Peer Nutrition Education Program

Abstract Objectives An evaluation was conducted of a peer-to-peer nutrition education program, Reinventing Integrative Cooking Opportunities (RICO), to determine if it is reaching its aims to increase self-efficacy in the areas of knife skills, hygiene practice, and recreating recipes in the kitchen by testing a novel method of assessment utilizing a group-based cooking competition. To determine the skill level and information retained by participants while encouraging participant engagement. Methods Latino adolescents (n = 16), ages 11–17, were provided with a recipe previously implemented during the six-week RICO program cycle. One evaluator was assigned per team to observe skills throughout the competition. Participants worked independently and were only corrected to ensure participant safety. Evaluation criteria scored during the assessment included food safety, knife safety, knife skills, hygiene, recipe completion, and flavor. Participants completed a written activity that was used to measure knowledge of food groups and the importance of ingredients used in the recipe retained from previous RICO lessons. Results Participants were scored on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = not acceptable to 5 = very acceptable. Results showed an overall mean score of 4.0 and 5.0. The highest scored skill observed during the evaluation was food safety (mean 4.75, range 1.0), while the lowest score was knife skills (mean 3.50, range 4.0). Recipe completion was a strength for all groups (mean 4.25, range 2.0), while flavor and hygiene practices were two areas where groups struggled (mean 3.75, range 3.0). This method of evaluation also revealed areas of improvement for RICO, namely, revision of lessons to provide better retention of cooking skills and nutrition knowledge. The completion rate of the written portion of the evaluation was 75%. Analysis of written answers shows that 25% understood the directions provided, while 75% did not. These results demonstrate the need to correct the evaluation with more precise instructions for how to fill out the activity sheet for participants. Conclusions This study demonstrates a direct observation method for data collection that kept participants engaged while providing insight into program outcomes. Funding Sources The Office of Community Engagement at the researcher's institution provided funding.