Evidence Library
Our Evidence Library brings together the research that underpins our work. Here you’ll find key papers, reviews, and reports, each with a short summary to help translate evidence into practice
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01
Determining best practice for school-based nutrition and cooking education programs: A scoping review
Link: https://www.iier.org.au/iier33/large.pdf
Determining best practice for school-based nutrition and cooking education programs: A scoping review
Large A, Morgan R, Kalas S, Appleton K, Giglia R.
Summary:
This scoping review examines school-based nutrition and cooking education programs to identify the components most strongly associated with positive outcomes for children and young people. The authors highlight the importance of hands-on learning, program consistency, curriculum integration, and educator capability. The review reinforces that effective programs go beyond information delivery, embedding practical food skills and supportive environments to drive meaningful behaviour change.
Why it matters:
This paper provides an evidence-based foundation for designing school and community food programs that are practical, engaging, and sustainable—particularly relevant for initiatives aiming to build lifelong food skills and nutrition confidence in children and adolescents.
Teaching kitchens: an innovative program for enhancing self-management skills in adolescents living with type 1 diabetes (T1D)—a feasibility study
Lim RJ, Crosby NE, Harray AJ, Begley A, Russell L, White J, Harrington N, Wright B, Shetty VB.
Summary:
This feasibility study explores the use of a teaching kitchen model to support adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in developing practical self-management skills. The program integrates hands-on cooking, nutrition education, and peer engagement to build confidence around food choices, insulin management, and daily living skills. Findings suggest teaching kitchens are an acceptable and promising approach for improving engagement and self-efficacy in this population.
Why it matters:
This study highlights the potential of teaching kitchens as a practical, skills-based intervention for adolescents with chronic health conditions. It supports the value of experiential learning environments in building independence, confidence, and real-world food skills—particularly relevant for youth-focused nutrition, cooking, and health education programs.
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03
Teaching Kitchen Collaborative
Teaching Kitchen Collaborative. About the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative [Internet]. Boston (MA): Teaching Kitchen Collaborative; c2024 [cited 2026 Jan 14]. Available from: https://teachingkitchens.org
Summary:
The Teaching Kitchen Collaborative is a U.S.-based organization dedicated to advancing teaching kitchens as practical, hands-on environments for nutrition education. It provides resources, research, and best-practice guidance for programs that combine culinary skills, nutrition science, and behavior change strategies.
Why it matters:
This resource offers a framework for designing evidence-based, experiential nutrition programs. It highlights how teaching kitchens can empower participants to translate knowledge into real-world food skills and healthy lifestyle behaviors, making it highly relevant for school, community, and health-focused initiatives.
04
The effect of culinary interventions (cooking classes) on dietary intake and behavioral change: a systematic review and evidence map
Hasan B, Thompson WG, Almasri J, Wang Z, Lakis S, Prokop LJ, Hensrud DD, Frie KS, Wirtz MJ, Murad ML. BMC Nutrition. 2019;5:29. doi:10.1186/s40795‑019‑0293‑8.
Summary:
This systematic review synthesizes evidence on culinary interventions—typically defined as cooking classes—and their effects on dietary intake, behavior, and health‑related outcomes across children and adults. While culinary interventions alone did not show significant changes in cardiometabolic outcomes (e.g., BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol), they were consistently associated with improved attitudes toward healthy eating, greater self‑efficacy, and healthier dietary intake behaviors. Interventions that included additional components such as nutrition education, gardening, or physical activity tended to yield stronger improvements.
Why it matters:
This review highlights that hands‑on culinary experiences can positively influence how people think and feel about food and eating, even if short‑term clinical measures don’t shift dramatically. It supports the value of integrated, experiential food skills education—such as teaching kitchens and community cooking programs—as a strategy for fostering sustainable, healthy eating behaviors in diverse populations.
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