Cooking for a Lifetime of Cancer Prevention

C4L targets adults and older adults in community-based settings (Extension offices, churches, food pantries, senior centers). The intervention was originally designed to reach low-income and uninsured women that would be eligible for screening services offered through the Georgia Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program. Program evaluation data suggest C4L likely reaches a SNAP-Ed eligible audience through proxy measures. As an example, sample data from the last two years indicate approximately 37% of participants have Medicare and/or Medicaid, 28% have no health insurance, and 40% have a high school education or GED or less. Settings: Community-wide, Faith-based centers, Food pantries, Healthcare, Worksites Age/Population Group: Adults, Older Adults Race: All Ethnicity: All

C4L includes two educational presentations: 1) lifestyle guidelines for cancer prevention and 2) screening guidelines for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, handouts and activities, and recipe demonstration and tasting. These intervention components increase awareness of the link between lifestyle behaviors and cancer prevention and provide participants with the knowledge and skills to implement recommended lifestyle behaviors. All of these components are critical to the intervention, but the recipe demonstration has been modified at times to address the setting (i.e., educators created and shared a video of themselves conducting a recipe demo or created PowerPoint slides illustrating the recipe steps.

University of Georgia Extension Family and Consumer Science Agents reached more than 1,175 people in 46 Georgia counties (1,098 people) and 3 rural Texas counties (77 people) with the C4L program in the 2017-2018 programming year. Completed evaluation data (n = 967) indicates participants were 90% female, primarily middle-aged (approximately 51 years, range 11 - 96 years old), 22% Hispanic and 40% Black/African American, and 20% reported having no insurance. Participants reported that they were significantly (p <.001) more likely to do all of the behaviors discussed, including exercise at least 30 minutes 5 days a week, achieve a healthy weight, eat more fruits and vegetables and less red and processed meat, and limit alcohol consumption following the program. The program is also motivating participants to get their recommended cancer screenings. Following the program, 67% of participants said they were "definitely going to" get a colonoscopy, and an additional 17% said they "may do it." More than 87% of participants reported that the program was very or extremely helpful in helping them think about changing some of their habits to reduce cancer risk. Common themes from participant feedback included that the program was informative, helped them think about their own risk for cancer, and helped them learn how to cook healthier. A mixed methods evaluation of Cooking for a Lifetime of Cancer Prevention can be found here . Evidence Base: Research-tested

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.   Readiness and Capacity - Short Term (ST) Changes - Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance - Long Term (LT) Population Results (R) Individual ST1 , ST3       Environmental Settings       Sectors of Influence       ST1i: After the program, 51.8% reported increased intention to choose whole grains at least half of the time. ST1g: After the program, 55.8% reported increased intention to make half of their plate fruits and vegetables. ST1h: After the program, 55.8% reported increased intention to make half of their plate fruits and vegetables. ST1k: After the program, 63.6% reported increased intention to limit red meat to 18 ounces or less per week. ST3a:  After the program, 53% reported increased intention to exercise 30 minutes per day 5 days per week.

C4L provides the following evaluation materials: Retrospective questionnaire assessing intent to change targeted behaviors Educator interview questions assessing program implementation and fidelity

Website: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/health-prevent-and-control-disease-curricula-for-sale Contact Person(s): Dr. Alison C Berg Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Georgia Phone: 706-542-8860 Email:  alisoncberg@uga.edu Beth Kindamo, MS, RDN, LD Assistant Nutrition Educator and Program Coordinator, UGA Extension Nutritional Sciences Phone: 706-542-8860 Email: bethkindamo@uga.edu     *Updated as of August 29, 2023