Cooking skills are critical for achieving health and sustainable dietary goals and yet they are in general decline in the UK. Community based cooking skills projects that aim to fill this skills gap are also in decline due to cut backs in public funding. Since cooking skills projects are diverse in scope (i.e. target group, model of intervention and intended outcome) and there is a lack of centralised support for them at the national level (in England); standards and requirements demanded by those commissioning them at the local level can vary and be unrealistic.
3. Purpose
For those attending to contribute to the production of evidence based
practical guidance on the identification and measurement of
community based cooking skills project outcomes, to be used by both
commissioners and practitioners.
4.
5. Why cooking skills outcomes?
Cooking skills projects at risk (need to โmake the case forโ)
โข Reduced resources & increased competition with other health and non-health objectives
โข Less nutritionists/evidence based decision making (to โmake the caseโ, ensure quality
programming & achievable outcomes)
โข Lack of centralised national support in England
Challenges of identifying and measuring outcomes (โwhat worksโ)
โข Diverse projects - how delivered, target groups, outcomes โ validated tools adapted
โข Health & dietary behaviour change, social, mental health, environmental
โข Unachievable health objectives, e.g. reducing obesity
โข Unrealistic and under resourced expectations for measurement
โข Different perspectives and priorities practitioners and commissioners/funders
6. Whatโs happened to-date?
โข Initiated by Public Food and Health Network (PFHN)
โข Supported by Food Research Collaboration (FRC) in partnership with Sustainable
Food Cities (SFC), funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
โข Project team (11)
โข Agreed focus โidentification & measurement (self-monitor) outcomesโ- guidance
โข Agreed scope โ community based, not schools based; focus health & behavioural
outcomes?
โข Build on and fill gaps - existing tools & learning
โข UK wide โfill the gap in England
โข Evidence review โ Martin Caraher & Ada Garcia
โข Cooking skills email group (43)
7. Objectives of workshop
1. To gain a common understanding of the background and purpose
of the FRC/SFC cooking skills project
2. To share the evidence on measuring and achieving outcomes for
community cooking skills projects
3. To identify gaps and challenges of using existing tools and
guidance on outcomes
4. To discuss and agree on the scope, content and format of the
evidence review/guidance
8. Outputs
To gain answers to the following questions from the perspective of
both commissioners/funders and practitioners:
1. What are the current challenges to identifying and measuring
outcomes when designing and commissioning cooking skills
projects?
2. What are the current gaps in tools and guidance for identifying and
measuring outcomes?
3. What should be the scope, structure and format of the practical
evidence based guidance?
9.
10. I - Current situation
FRC evidence review
Martin Caraher and Ada Garcia
12. Group work โ current challenges and gaps (30 mins)
Discuss and identify:
1. Key challenges to identifying & measuring outcomes in project design.,
commissioning & delivery
2. Gaps in existing tools/ guidance to help identify & and measure
outcomes?
Appoint a scribe and rapporteur to write up on flip chart (3-5 mins max) after
lunch
Highlight any differences between commissioners and practitioners
Put top 3 challenges and top 3 gaps on post-its and stick on wall before lunch
14. Suggested objectives of the guidance
1. A summary of evidence from โexpertsโ to:
โข โMake the caseโ for cooking skills projects
โข โWhat works โin terms of achieving outcomes
2. Check list for designing projects with realistic and appropriate outcomes
3 . Guidance on how to self-monitor/evaluate achievement of outcomes
using good enough (not validated), flexible monitoring/self-evaluation check
list โ including signposting to existing tools
Format โ NICE/JRF style (show Examples)โ short brief referenced evidence
based statements, if evidence does not exist, use โexpertsโ opinion
15. Group work (20 mins) โ update at lunch time
Discuss and make recommendations on:
1. Structure (headings) & format of guidance
2. Health & behavioural skills focus โ plus social, mental health,
environmental ?
3. Separate guidance needed for commissioners and practitioners ?
4. What else can be done to make the case for cooking skills?
Write up on flip chart and feedback (3-5 mins max)
Highlight any differences between commissioners and practitioners