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NCT Number: NCT07675148

Cooking Classes as a Family-based Intervention for Weight Reduction: Effects on Dietary Quality and Weight Management in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

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

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity & Overweight Body Weight Culinary Medicine Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Shamma Al Jneibi

CONTACT

[email protected]

+97126423567

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 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

Exclusion criteria

  • 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

Treatment and study plan

Culinary Medicine Healthy Cooking and Home Meal Implementation Program

Behavioral

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. 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.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Waist Circumference

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    Measurement of abdominal adiposity using a smart tape according to WHO protocol.

  2. Body Fat Percentage

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    Measurement of body fat percentage using the InBody Dial H30 portable device.

  3. Blood Pressure

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    Systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured using a Welch Allyn ProBP 2000 device after a standardized resting period.

  4. Heart Rate

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    Resting heart rate measured using the Welch Allyn ProBP 2000 device.

  5. Compliance with Home-Cooked Meal Consumption

    Time frame: Every week for 3 months

    Survey-based assessment of participant adherence to consuming meals prepared by the trained home cook

  6. Frequency of home-cooked meal consumption.

    Time frame: every week for 3 months

    Number of home-cooked meals consumed per week, assessed by participant survey.

  7. Participant Experience and Satisfaction

    Time frame: End of intervention (3 months).

    Survey evaluating participants' overall experience, satisfaction, acceptability, and perceived benefits of the culinary medicine program.

Other outcomes

  1. Handgrip Strength

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    Measurement of muscle strength using a calibrated Jamar digital hand dynamometer. Highest value from repeated trials will be recorded.

  2. Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months.

    BMI calculated using measurements obtained from the InBody Dial H30 and height from the SECA stadiometer. Although weight is the primary outcome, BMI is also collected and may be analyzed.

  3. Medication Use

    Time frame: Baseline and Post-intervention (3 months).

    Documentation of medication type and dose, including diabetes, hypertension, and weight-loss medications, to account for potential confounding effects.

  4. Diet Quality Score

    Time frame: Pre-intervention (during recruitment/consent) and Post-intervention (end of 3-month intervention).

    Assessment of dietary quality using the Global Diet Quality Questionnaire (GDQS), including overall score and NCD-Risk/NCD-Protect indicators. The following summarizes the scoring system of the GDQS:

    Score Range Interpretation

    • GDS (Global Diet Score / GDR Score): (0-18) Overall diet quality score combining protective and risk components. Higher scores indicate better adherence to global dietary recommendations.

    NCD-Protect: (0-9) Measures consumption of foods that protect against non-communicable diseases (e.g., fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds). Higher scores are better.

    NCD-Risk: (0-9) Measures consumption of foods associated with increased NCD risk (e.g., processed meat, sugary foods and beverages, ultra-processed salty foods). Higher scores indicate greater dietary risk.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Erik Koornneef, Ph.D

CONTACT

[email protected]

+971500888594

Yamna Azim

CONTACT

[email protected]

+971509149171

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi

Other

Collaborators

  • Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 30, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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