Get Cooking!
| Description | A community food initiative that encourages healthy eating and improved food skills. |
|---|---|
| Setting | Community settings including Sure Start, local action and community centres, and schools. |
| Populationting | All age groups and ethnic groups across the Dudley Borough, particularly those living in deprived areas. |
| Intervention summary | Workshops for the community and training courses for those who would like to set up their own Get Cooking initiative. |
| Outcome Summary | Participants increased their intake of fruit and vegetables and decreased their consumption of foods high in saturated fats. |
| Startup Cost | Unknown |
| Running Cost | Approximately £50 000 per annum |
| Funding | Core funded by Dudley Primary Care Trust through the Local Development Plan. |
| Started | 1994 |
| Ended | Ongoing |
| Location | Dudley, England |
| Contact |
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Background
Get Cooking! is a community food initiative that encourages healthy eating and improved food skills. It also serves as a needs assessment vehicle, exploring food access issues as well as supporting dietary change.
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
The Borough of Dudley is comprised of several towns and districts including Dudley, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Kingswinford and Sedgley. Dudley is a large metropolitan borough (38 square miles) that lies on the westerly edge of the West Midlands conurbation. Unemployment, deprivation and the socio-economic profile closely match the national average but this masks localised deprivation at neighbourhood levels, some of which are amongst the most deprived in the country.
The key aims of Get Cooking! are to reduce the number of early deaths from diet related diseases such as cancers and coronary heart disease and to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
What local organisations are involved?
The project is fully funded by Dudley Primary Care Trust (PCT) but the initiative is promoted by means of cross-agency working. Community and training groups are referred to the initiative through local education, health and social care authorities. Different teams within the Dudley Public Health Directorate (for example, smoking cessation, physical activity, and mental health teams) work together to offer a more holistic approach for healthy living in Dudley.
How many people are running this project and who are they?
Four Food for Health Advisors employed by Dudley PCT run the Get Cooking! project.
What local population are you targeting?
All age groups and all ethnic groups across the Dudley Borough are targeted, particularly those living in deprived areas.
How many people are you targeting?
Between 2004 and 2005, 144 community participants took part in the Get Cooking! initiative - of which 100 participants completed dietary intake records.
Interventions
What interventions are you using to address the problem?
Three advisors facilitate workshops directly with the community. The initiative is delivered directly through a series of fun, informal and practical workshops. These are based on raising awareness of healthy eating, improving food skills and increasing confidence and motivation to improve diet. Workshops are also an opportunity to explore and discuss other food issues such as food access and local food shops plus any other health concerns. Food for Health Advisors also deliver training courses for professionals who would like to run their own Get Cooking! initiative.
One other advisor also recruits, trains and supports local volunteers to deliver healthy eating workshops within their neighbourhood.
Is the project design based on evidence? If so, please state reference.
Yes, please see references 1 3 . Local need for the project was identified further through a piece of research carried out by the Dudley Food Network between 2000 and 2003. This explored the food experiences of people living in the most deprived neighbourhoods of the Dudley Borough.
Outcome
What outcomes or planned outcomes are you measuring?
Participants are given feedback forms, and records of their dietary intake are collected pre- and post- intervention to monitor and assess impact on food intake.
Professionals and volunteers who have been trained to deliver their own Get Cooking! initiative keep a record of their Get Cooking! activities by writing in a logbook and conducting a simple questionnaire to evaluate the session. The Food for Health advisors support and monitor the trained facilitators.
Do you have any outcomes or results yet? If so, what are they?
Our data demonstrates that Get Cooking! has an overall positive impact on dietary intake. For example data for 2005-6 showed an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by a mean of 6.6 portions per week and a decreased consumption of foods high in saturated fats (pastry, crisps, biscuits, cream, butter, and fried foods) by a mean of 5.6 portions each week.
Is your project relevant to a government target or guideline?
No
Feedback
What obstacles did you have to overcome to set up this project?
Not known
What have you learned about the project so far?
The most effective and efficient method of collecting accurate dietary information was unclear. This meant dietary assessment questionnaires were changed on a number of occasions. However, the way that information is currently collected is more comprehensive than in earlier assessments. There is an understanding amongst the Food for Health Advisors that collecting accurate dietary data is time consuming and participants require individual support.
What would you do differently?
Nothing
References:
- Bussell T, Jackson S. A Healthy Diet: Accessible to all? Dudley Beacon & Castle Primary Care Trust. 2004.
- Wrieden WL, et al. The impact of a community based food skills intervention on cooking confidence, food preparation methods and dietary choices – an exploratory trial. Public Health Nutrition 2007;10: 203-211.
- Snowdon WD. Asian Cookery Clubs: a community health promotion intervention. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education 1999;37: 135-136