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FeasibilityNCT05863559

Super Chef - an Online Program Promoting the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern to Lower Income Families

A study testing Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen! in people with Feasibility and Diet, Healthy, run by Baylor College of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Given the limited effectiveness of single food group-targeted interventions to enhance child nutrition, a key component of current and future health, innovative approaches are needed. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 10 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Feasibility, Diet, Healthy
What is being tested?
Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen!
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
116 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
30 Sep 2022to 26 Nov 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 10 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • a 10-12 years old child and a parent/caregiver
  • family qualifies for free or reduced price meals at school
  • reliable internet access
  • resident of Texas
  • fluent in English

Who cannot join

  • major auditory or vision impairment
  • lack of binocular vision
  • history of seizure disorder
  • claustrophobia
  • vertigo
  • psychiatric conditions (e.g., paranoia, manic depressive psychosis)
Show all 11Show fewer
  • prior dizziness or motion sickness when using virtual reality
  • currently being treated with medications or medical condition that impacts dietary intake (e.g., cancer, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or ability to participate in data collection (e.g., intellectual impairments)
  • physician advice to modify diet for a current or ongoing health or medical condition
  • eligible but child birth sex stratum (male, female) filled
  • another parent or sibling participated in program development

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Baylor College of Medicine

    Houston, Texas, 77030

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen!

Given the limited effectiveness of single food group-targeted interventions to enhance child nutrition, a key component of current and future health, innovative approaches are needed. Healthy dietary patterns are emerging as an important intervention target, and the Mediterranean Dietary pattern has been particularly effective at reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors, a leading cause of death in the US. Since parents are the gatekeepers of the home food environment and influence child intake through food-related parenting practices, children enjoy cooking with parents, and home food preparation is associated with more healthful dietary intake. Therefore, the investigators propose to develop and assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an online cooking intervention for parent-child dyads living in low-income households that promotes the Mediterranean dietary pattern and healthful food-related parenting practices.

Read the detailed description

Few interventions targeting single food groups have demonstrated long-term health success. The Mediterranean Diet dietary pattern has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of death in the US. Dietary behaviors established in childhood track into adulthood, suggesting that healthful dietary behaviors should be established during childhood. Children living in low-income households are at greater risk of CVD and generally have less healthful diets, indicating a need for interventions promoting more healthful dietary practices. Parents are the gatekeepers of the home food environment and influence children's dietary behaviors through parenting practices around food (i.e., modeling of eating behaviors, home availability).

Foods prepared and eaten at home have been associated with better diet quality. Cooking skills have been associated with home meal preparation, and children enjoy cooking with parents. Encouraging parents to involve children in home food preparation and using healthful food parenting practices may be an effective way to help children adopt a healthful dietary pattern. However, to promote behavior change, interventions should be convenient, enjoyable, and personally relevant. Since Internet use and access are prevalent, including among families with lower incomes, the proposed research will build on previous research with parent-child dyads from low-income households to develop an online cooking education intervention that promotes the Mediterranean dietary pattern and healthful food parenting practices. Once developed, the investigators will assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy with 44 parent-child dyads. The results of this study have the potential to enhance child cardiovascular health and inform the design of digital interventions promoting sustainable dietary behaviors in at-risk children.

Being tested
Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen!

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen!Behavioural

    Two-phase intervention: in the online phase, a professional chef will demonstrate cooking strategies to help families modify existing recipes to be consistent with the Mediterranean Dietary pattern. Effective food parenting practices will also be integrated into the intervention. The intervention is guided by theory - Family Systems, Social Cognitive, and Self Determination - and gamification techniques. At the end of the online phase, dyads will set a goal to use the cooking strategy and make a plan to facilitate goal attainment. In the home phase, the dyad will work together to use the plan to meet the goal. Dyads can also participate in bonus activities. Prior to viewing the next session, dyads will report whether the goal was attained and any bonus activities completed. Collectively, this will determine level of Super Chef status the family achieves at the end of the program (Session 4).

Study groups in NCT05863559
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TreatmentExperimentalAfter completing baseline data collection, families randomized to the intervention group will receive the 4-session prototype over a period of up to 6 weeks. This will allow for illness, family vacations, school holidays, and scheduling conflicts. After completing session 4, the family will proceed to post assessment. The investigators have successfully used this approach in previous interventions. It is anticipated each session will take ~1.5 hrs to complete (online phase - ~30 minutes; home phase - ~1 hr). The parent and child will each be assigned a password with which to login to the online phase. Parents and children will be asked to keep their password private. Each will need to login at the same time to view each new online session. The session can be viewed by parent or child separately or together after the initial viewing.
Receives: Behavioral: Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen!
Wait-list controlNo interventionFamilies randomized to this group will receive the intervention after the dyad completes both baseline and post intervention data collection.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Recruitment goal attainment as assessed by staff logs

    Staff will maintain logs of the number of families who express interest in the study and of those, the number who qualify and enroll in the study

    Measured: pre-intervention

  2. Number of families who complete all phases of the study as assessed by staff logs

    Staff will maintain logs of when a family completes each phase of the study, including pre-intervention data collection, the online program sessions, and data collection immediately after completing the intervention. Family completion is defined as both parent and child completion of a phase.

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 10 weeks

  3. Parent satisfaction with the Intervention as assessed by a 10 item survey

    The 10-item measure has been used by Dr. Thompson in previous studies with children and adults. Items will be rated using a 2-point Likert scale (no=1, yes=2). Scores can range from 10-20, with higher scores representing higher satisfaction

    Measured: immediately after the intervention

  4. Child satisfaction with the Intervention as assessed by a 10 item survey

    The 10-item measure has been used by Dr. Thompson in previous studies with children and adults. Items will be rated using a 2-point Likert scale (no=1, yes=2). Scores can range from 10-20, with higher scores representing higher satisfaction

    Measured: immediately after the intervention

  5. Acceptability of wearing recording device at pre-intervention as assessed by agreement to wear a recording device

    Staff will maintain logs of parents who agree to wear the recording device as part of pre-intervention data collection (yes=1, no=0).

    Measured: pre-intervention

  6. Acceptability of recording device immediately after the intervention as assessed by agreement to wear the device

    Staff will maintain logs of parents who agree to wear a recording device as part of data collection immediately after the intervention (yes=1, no=0).

    Measured: immediately after the intervention

  7. Usability of recordings from device collected during pre-intervention data collection as assessed by staff logs

    Staff will maintain logs of number of recordings generated and the number of recordings that could be analyzed

    Measured: pre-intervention

  8. Usability of recordings from device collected during data collection immediately after the intervention as assessed by staff logs

    Staff will maintain logs of number of recordings generated and the number of recordings that could be analyzed

    Measured: immediately after the intervention

Secondary outcomes (11)
  1. Change in autonomous motivation to help child learn to cook as assessed by the adapted Treatment Self-Regulation Motivation Questionnaire

    The survey will be adapted from the Treatment Self-Regulation Motivation Questionnaire-diet which has demonstrated strong construct validity. This is a 15-item questionnaire that uses a 7 point Likert scale, ranging from 1, not at all true, to 7, very true. The scale was designed to be adapted for different behaviors and situations. The scale measures regulatory style and has three subscales, ranging from amotivation, controlled motivation, autonomous motivation.

    Measured: immediately after the intervention

  2. Change in parent self efficacy to involve child in home food preparation as assessed by the adapted self-efficacy scale of the Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale

    The 13-item self-efficacy scale of the Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale will be adapted to assess parent self-efficacy for involving their child in home food preparation. The scale uses a 7-point Likert response scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  3. Change in parent self efficacy to use food parenting practices as assessed by the Competence/Self-Efficacy for Vegetable Food Parenting Practices Scale

    The Competence/Self-Efficacy for Vegetable Food Parenting Practices is an 18-item scale scored using a three category response scale - disagree=1, neither agree nor disagree=2, agree=3. Responses are summed, with higher scores indicating higher self-efficacy.

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  4. Change in home food availability as assessed by parent completion of the Fulkerson et al Home Food Inventory

    This inventory is a 51 item checklist (yes=1, no=0) that assesses healthful and less healthful food available in the home. Foods are grouped into 13 major food groups and 2 categories of ready-access foods. Scores are summed, with higher scores indicating greater availability. The scale has demonstrated criterion and construct validity.

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  5. Change in child involvement in home food preparation as assessed by parent response to the question used in the Eating and Activity over Time project (Project EAT)

    Parents will report child involvement in home food preparation using the question Larsen et al used in Project EAT "In the past week, how many times did your child help prepare food (meals, snacks) for your family".

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  6. Change in child involvement in home food preparation as assessed by child response to the question used in Project EAT

    Children will report involvement in home food preparation using the question Larsen et al used in Project EAT "In the past week, how many times did you help prepare food (meals, snacks) for your family".

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  7. Change in child dietary intake as assessed by dietitian-assisted 24 hour dietary recalls

    The child will participate in 2, 24 hour dietitian-assisted recalls at each data collection time point. Diet will be assessed using a laptop computer, Nutrition Data System for Research software, and 2 dimensional food and measurement images. One weekday and one weekend day will be collected.

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  8. Change in parent use of food parenting practices assessed by the Food Parenting Practice Item Bank

    Parents will complete the validated online food parenting practice item bank which is based on an expert-informed conceptual framework assessing food parenting practices within three key domains of food parenting practices (autonomy promotion, control, and structure). Parents respond to each item using a 5 point response scale, ranging from never to 5-7 times a week. Responses are averaged to create a construct score, with higher scores indicating higher endorsement.

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  9. Change in parent dietary intake as assessed by the Harvard food frequency questionnaire

    The Harvard semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire includes 126 items. The Rumawas et al method will be used to compute the Mediterranean Diet Index

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  10. Objective assessment of change in parent use of food parenting practices assessed by device recordings obtained during food preparation

    Prior to and after participation in the online intervention, parents will wear a recording device for 3 days during food preparation events and meals to obtain an objective measure of parent use of food parenting practices. Recordings will be reviewed to assess food parenting practices used during the time of wearing. Food parenting practice use will be rated as yes/no

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

  11. Objective assessment of change in child involvement in food preparation assessed by device recordings obtained during food preparation

    Prior to and after participation in the online intervention, parents will wear a recording device for 3 days during food preparation events and meals to obtain an objective measure of child involvement in food preparation. Child involvement will be rated as yes/no

    Measured: pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted18 May 2023
  2. Study start30 Sep 2022
  3. Primary completion26 Nov 2025
  4. Study completion26 Nov 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Two group randomized controlled trial - treatment, waitlist control
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
116 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05863559
Sponsor's protocol ID
H-51143
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
11 Apr 2023
Last updated
19 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Super Chef: Family Fun in the Kitchen! in people with Feasibility and Diet, Healthy, run by Baylor College of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Recruitment goal attainment as assessed by staff logs (time frame: pre-intervention). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 Oct 2026.

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