Obesity & OverweightNCT07675148
Cooking Classes as a Family-based Intervention for Weight Reduction: Effects on Dietary Quality and Weight Management in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
A study testing Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program in people with Obesity & Overweight and Culinary Medicine, run by Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi at 1 site in United Arab Emirates.
Trial summary
The goal of this quasi-experimental interventional study is to learn if healthy cooking classes for home cooks can improve weight management and dietary quality among Emirati adults with overweight or obesity living in Abu Dhabi. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity & Overweight, Culinary Medicine
- What is being tested?
- Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 250 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Arab Emirates
- Study dates
- 8 Oct 2025to 31 Oct 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Emirati
- Based in Abu Dhabi
- Home cooked meals prepared by full-time home cooks who are certified in the ICCA Culinary Medicine course (post 4 weeks cooking training)
- Certified home cooks are residing with participant during the training and intervention
- Aged between 18 years and 60 years
- BMI between 28-40 kg/m2
- Participant and cooks being able to provide informed consent
Who cannot join
- Body weight exceeding 220 kilograms at the time of recruitment
- Undergoing treatment for serious illnesses (active cancer), planned for surgery, interventional management, and immunomodulation
- Undergone surgery within 3 months prior to study recruitment, including bariatric surgery
- Enrolled in other lifestyle intervention programs
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United Arab Emirates1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Shamma Al Jneibi, +97126423567, s.aljneibi@ihlad.ae
About this study
The goal of this quasi-experimental interventional study is to learn if healthy cooking classes for home cooks can improve weight management and dietary quality among Emirati adults with overweight or obesity living in Abu Dhabi. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does participation in the culinary medicine program reduce body weight over time?
- Does the intervention improve diet quality and increase compliance with healthy home-cooked meals?
- Does the intervention improve health measures such as waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate?
- What are the experiences and satisfaction levels of participating family members and trained home cooks?
Read more
Participants will:
- Enroll in a 3-month family-based nutrition intervention program
- Receive meals prepared by home cooks trained in culinary medicine through the ICCA program
- Complete assessments before the intervention, during the intervention, and 3 months after completion
- Undergo measurements including weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate
- Complete questionnaires about diet quality, meal habits, and overall program experience
- Conditions
- Obesity & Overweight, Culinary Medicine
- Being tested
- Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program
- Medical subject headings
- Obesity, Overweight
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation ProgramBehavioural
This intervention consists of a 4-week structured culinary medicine training program delivered by ICCA to designated household home cooks. The training includes theoretical nutrition education and practical cooking sessions focused on healthy meal preparation techniques aimed at reducing chronic disease risk. Following completion of training and certification, home cooks implement these techniques over a 3-month period by preparing and providing healthy home-cooked meals for participating household members. The intervention encourages reduced reliance on ultra-processed and restaurant foods and promotes improved dietary quality, with outcomes assessed through repeated measures of anthropometry, body composition, cardiovascular indicators, and dietary intake.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Culinary Medicine Intervention Group | Experimental | Participants receive a household-based culinary medicine intervention. The designated home cook undergoes a 4-week ICCA culinary medicine training program focused on healthy cooking techniques, nutrition education, and chronic disease prevention. Following training, the home cook implements healthy home-prepared meals for participating household members over a 3-month period. Participants receive repeated assessments of weight, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, heart rate, body composition, and diet quality at baseline, mid-intervention (6 weeks), and post-intervention (3 months). Receives: Behavioral: Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Weight Status (Body Weight)
Assessment of participant weight to determine changes associated with the culinary medicine intervention. Weight will be measured using the InBody Dial H30 portable device.
Measured: Baseline (immediately after home cook certification and before intervention), Mid-intervention (6 weeks), and Post-intervention (3 months after intervention start).
Secondary outcomes (7)
Waist Circumference
Measurement of abdominal adiposity using a smart tape according to WHO protocol.
Measured: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Body Fat Percentage
Measurement of body fat percentage using the InBody Dial H30 portable device.
Measured: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Blood Pressure
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured using a Welch Allyn ProBP 2000 device after a standardized resting period.
Measured: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Heart Rate
Resting heart rate measured using the Welch Allyn ProBP 2000 device.
Measured: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Compliance with Home-Cooked Meal Consumption
Survey-based assessment of participant adherence to consuming meals prepared by the trained home cook
Measured: Every week for 3 months
Frequency of home-cooked meal consumption.
Number of home-cooked meals consumed per week, assessed by participant survey.
Measured: every week for 3 months
Participant Experience and Satisfaction
Survey evaluating participants' overall experience, satisfaction, acceptability, and perceived benefits of the culinary medicine program.
Measured: End of intervention (3 months).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Jun 2026
- Study start8 Oct 2025
- Primary completion30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Oct 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (10)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Obesity & OverweightStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 250 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07675148
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- DOH/ADHRTC/2025/1895
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 11 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 20 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Vaishya R, Misra A, Vaish A, Ursino N, D'Ambrosi R. Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidences. J Health Popul Nutr. 2024 Jan 9;43(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s41043-024-00500-y.
PubMed 38195493Global Diet Quality Project: Diet Quality Questionnaire. https://www.dietquality.org/.
Davidson LE, Wang J, Thornton JC, Kaleem Z, Silva-Palacios F, Pierson RN, Heymsfield SB, Gallagher D. Predicting fat percent by skinfolds in racial groups: Durnin and Womersley revisited. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Mar;43(3):542-9. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ef3f07.
PubMed 20689462World Health Organization: Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241501491.
Hasan B, Thompson WG, Almasri J, Wang Z, Lakis S, Prokop LJ, Hensrud DD, Frie KS, Wirtz MJ, Murad AL, Ewoldt JS, Murad MH. The effect of culinary interventions (cooking classes) on dietary intake and behavioral change: a systematic review and evidence map. BMC Nutr. 2019 May 10;5:29. doi: 10.1186/s40795-019-0293-8. eCollection 2019.
PubMed 32153942Alpaugh M, Pope L, Trubek A, Skelly J, Harvey J. Cooking as a Health Behavior: Examining the Role of Cooking Classes in a Weight Loss Intervention. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 28;12(12):3669. doi: 10.3390/nu12123669.
PubMed 33260523Lillquist S, Ruiz Barnecett G, Flexman N, Mikati N. Recipes for Health: A Community-Based Nutrition and Culinary Intervention. Cureus. 2022 Dec 8;14(12):e32322. doi: 10.7759/cureus.32322. eCollection 2022 Dec.
PubMed 36627985Thomas OW, Reilly JM, Wood NI, Albin J. Culinary Medicine: Needs and Strategies for Incorporating Nutrition into Medical Education in the United States. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2024 May 5;11:23821205241249379. doi: 10.1177/23821205241249379. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
PubMed 38711830Heart and stroke: Risk and prevention. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart-disease/risk-and-prevention.
The National: UAE's healthcare bill for diabetes could soar to $3.4 billion a year, study suggests. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/03/03/uaes-healthcare-bill-for-diabetes-could-soar-to-34-billion-a-year-study-suggests/.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Cooking Classes as a Family-based Intervention for Weight Reduction: Effects on Dietary Quality and Weight Management in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07675148
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- DOH/ADHRTC/2025/1895
- Conditions
- Obesity & Overweight, Culinary Medicine
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 250 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Institute for Healthier Living Abu DhabiUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre
- Study start
- 8 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Jun 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this quasi-experimental interventional study is to learn if healthy cooking classes for home cooks can improve weight management and dietary quality among Emirati adults with overweight or obesity living in Abu Dhabi. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does participation in the culinary medicine program reduce body weight over time?
- Does the intervention improve diet quality and increase compliance with healthy home-cooked meals?
- Does the intervention improve health measures such as waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate?
- What are the experiences and satisfaction levels of participating family members and trained home cooks?
Participants will:
- Enroll in a 3-month family-based nutrition intervention program
- Receive meals prepared by home cooks trained in culinary medicine through the ICCA program
- Complete assessments before the intervention, during the intervention, and 3 months after completion
- Undergo measurements including weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and heart rate
- Complete questionnaires about diet quality, meal habits, and overall program experience
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Culinary Medicine Intervention Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation ProgramParticipants receive a household-based culinary medicine intervention. The designated home cook undergoes a 4-week ICCA culinary medicine training program focused on healthy cooking techniques, nutrition education, and chronic disease prevention. Following training, the home cook implements healthy home-prepared meals for participating household members over a 3-month period. Participants receive repeated assessments of weight, anthropometric measures, blood pressure, heart rate, body composition, and diet quality at baseline, mid-intervention (6 weeks), and post-intervention (3 months). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Emirati
- Based in Abu Dhabi
- Home cooked meals prepared by full-time home cooks who are certified in the ICCA Culinary Medicine course (post 4 weeks cooking training)
- Certified home cooks are residing with participant during the training and intervention
- Aged between 18 years and 60 years
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Body weight exceeding 220 kilograms at the time of recruitment
- Undergoing treatment for serious illnesses (active cancer), planned for surgery, interventional management, and immunomodulation
- Undergone surgery within 3 months prior to study recruitment, including bariatric surgery
- Enrolled in other lifestyle intervention programs
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation ProgramThis intervention consists of a 4-week structured culinary medicine training program delivered by ICCA to designated household home cooks. The training includes theoretical nutrition education and practical cooking sessions focused on healthy meal preparation techniques aimed at reducing chronic disease risk. Following completion of training and certification, home cooks implement these techniques over a 3-month period by preparing and providing healthy home-cooked meals for participating household members. The intervention encourages reduced reliance on ultra-processed and restaurant foods and promotes improved dietary quality, with outcomes assessed through repeated measures of anthropometry, body composition, cardiovascular indicators, and dietary intake. | Behavioural | Culinary Medicine Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
Weight Status (Body Weight)
Time frame: Baseline (immediately after home cook certification and before intervention), Mid-intervention (6 weeks), and Post-intervention (3 months after intervention start).
Assessment of participant weight to determine changes associated with the culinary medicine intervention. Weight will be measured using the InBody Dial H30 portable device.
7 secondary outcomes
Waist Circumference
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Body Fat Percentage
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Blood Pressure
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Heart Rate
Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.
Compliance with Home-Cooked Meal Consumption
Time frame: Every week for 3 months
Frequency of home-cooked meal consumption.
Time frame: every week for 3 months
Participant Experience and Satisfaction
Time frame: End of intervention (3 months).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Jul 2026.
- Background: PubMed 38195493Vaishya R, Misra A, Vaish A, Ursino N, D'Ambrosi R. Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidences. J Health Popul Nutr. 2024 Jan 9;43(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s41043-024-00500-y.
- BackgroundGlobal Diet Quality Project: Diet Quality Questionnaire. https://www.dietquality.org/.
- Background: PubMed 20689462Davidson LE, Wang J, Thornton JC, Kaleem Z, Silva-Palacios F, Pierson RN, Heymsfield SB, Gallagher D. Predicting fat percent by skinfolds in racial groups: Durnin and Womersley revisited. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Mar;43(3):542-9. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ef3f07.
- BackgroundWorld Health Organization: Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: report of a WHO expert consultation. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241501491.
- Background: PubMed 32153942Hasan B, Thompson WG, Almasri J, Wang Z, Lakis S, Prokop LJ, Hensrud DD, Frie KS, Wirtz MJ, Murad AL, Ewoldt JS, Murad MH. The effect of culinary interventions (cooking classes) on dietary intake and behavioral change: a systematic review and evidence map. BMC Nutr. 2019 May 10;5:29. doi: 10.1186/s40795-019-0293-8. eCollection 2019.
- Background: PubMed 33260523Alpaugh M, Pope L, Trubek A, Skelly J, Harvey J. Cooking as a Health Behavior: Examining the Role of Cooking Classes in a Weight Loss Intervention. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 28;12(12):3669. doi: 10.3390/nu12123669.
- Background: PubMed 36627985Lillquist S, Ruiz Barnecett G, Flexman N, Mikati N. Recipes for Health: A Community-Based Nutrition and Culinary Intervention. Cureus. 2022 Dec 8;14(12):e32322. doi: 10.7759/cureus.32322. eCollection 2022 Dec.
- Background: PubMed 38711830Thomas OW, Reilly JM, Wood NI, Albin J. Culinary Medicine: Needs and Strategies for Incorporating Nutrition into Medical Education in the United States. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2024 May 5;11:23821205241249379. doi: 10.1177/23821205241249379. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
- BackgroundHeart and stroke: Risk and prevention. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart-disease/risk-and-prevention.
- BackgroundThe National: UAE's healthcare bill for diabetes could soar to $3.4 billion a year, study suggests. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/03/03/uaes-healthcare-bill-for-diabetes-could-soar-to-34-billion-a-year-study-suggests/.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program in people with Obesity & Overweight and Culinary Medicine, run by Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi at 1 site in United Arab Emirates.
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 7 inclusion and 4 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Jul 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 Arab Emirates. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Erik Koornneef, Ph.D (+971500888594, e.koornneef@ihlad.ae), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Weight Status (Body Weight) (time frame: Baseline (immediately after home cook certification and before intervention), Mid-intervention (6 weeks), and Post-intervention (3 months after intervention start).). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07675148, which also lists 10 linked publications.
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 20 Jul 2026.