An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Hands on Cooking and Nutritional Education with Low Socioeconomic Children

This study was conducted at The Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Northwest Arkansas to test the effectiveness of hands on cooking classes and nutritional education with children age’s nine to eleven coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This group was chosen because people included in low socioeconomic status are more likely to a high number of energy dense foods because of their long shelf life and high calorie count in replacement of fruits and vegetables (Proceedings of the Roundtable on Understanding the Paradox of Hunger and Obesity, 2004). Though this is true, not having a balanced diet and eating a majority of energy dense foods causes a significant number of health problems (Conklin, Forouhi, Surtees, Wareham & Monsivais, 2015). Nine children participated in this six-week study, attending at least four of the six cooking classes to qualify. The classes were the duration of around one hour each week and the children made a variety of recipes and completed an array of activities and worksheets. The results of the t-test from the Cooking Matters preand postassessment were not significant though learning themes were determined based on quotes made by participants. i AN EVALUATION OF HANDS ON COOKING AND NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION Table of