1. Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) Program: Quality Improvement Results After Attendance at a Single Class.
- Author
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LaCroix, R., Black, M., Souza, M., Utech, A., Chen, S., and Thielke, S.
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CONFERENCES & conventions , *HEALTH behavior , *VETERANS , *NUTRITION education , *QUALITY assurance , *SELF-efficacy - Abstract
Purpose/Background: The VA HTK Program aims to provide nutrition education and increase participants' self-efficacy to achieve personal health goals, confidence, and frequency of cooking at home. We evaluated the Veterans’ self-reported impact of a single HTK class. Methods: A HTK single class questionnaire was deployed in March 2018 to 161 VA sites that offer Nutrition Services for HTK program assessment and improvement. Veterans who attended a single class completed the questionnaire using a 7-point Likert scale, assessing participants' self-perception of class impact. Results: As of January 2019,109/161 sites reported offering HTK programs and 28/109 offer single session classes. 1,859 of the 2,340 questionnaires submitted had complete data. 86% were male, average age 62.5 and average BMI 33 (SD: 7, range 15-72). Nearly all HTK participants (91%) learned new recipes that will help them on their journey to healthy living, (88%) were confident that this class will help them reach their health goals, (86%) learned new cooking techniques in the class, and (89%) planned to make a recipe at home that they learned in their HTK class. Conclusion: From a single class intervention, Veterans report learning new recipes and cooking techniques that they plan to utilize at home and increased confidence that this class will help them reach their personal health goals. This one-time intervention may be effective in increasing home cooking and have a positive impact on Veterans' health behaviors. Consideration should be given to expanding and enhancing the HTK programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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