Document Type
Plan B - Open Access
Award Date
2026
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Health and Nutritional Sciences
First Advisor
Gemma E. Bastian
Abstract
Objective: establish a nutrition and cooking education program at a transitional housing facility in Sioux Falls, SD and evaluate its effect on both nutrition knowledge and cooking skills in participants.
Methods: Using the nutrition education curriculum “Families Eating Smart and Moving More” (FESMM), we conducted a 6-week nutrition and cooking education program at the transitional housing facility, Bishop Dudley Center for Families (BDCFF), in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Participants attended didactic sessions led by a master’s student in nutrition and dietetics that encouraged healthy and cost-effective eating, as well as took part in hands on cooking lessons with assistance from volunteers from University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Due to low and inconsistent participation, we were unable to gather quantifiable data, however, we gathered informal verbal feedback from BDCFF residents and staff for program evaluation purposes.
Results: Program participation was low and inconsistent, with 0-2 families attending per session and no participants completing all 6 weeks as intended by the curriculum. Due to limited attendance, formal pre and post intervention data was not collected. However, observations by facilitators, informal feedback from participants, participant engagement during lessons, and participants’ ability to recall information from previous lessons suggested improved nutrition knowledge and interest in improving cooking skills.
Conclusions and Future Implications: Barriers such as resident turnover, competing priorities, and structural limitations within transitional housing impacted program implementation and evaluation. Despite these challenges, findings indicate that nutrition and cooking education programs are potentially beneficial for this unhoused population, though future programs should incorporate flexible evaluation methods and address potential environmental barriers to enhance program effectiveness.
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Rights
Copyright © 2026 the author
Recommended Citation
Mehlhaff, Lucy, "Effectiveness of a Six-week Nutrition and Cooking Education Program on Nutrition Knowledge and Cooking Skills in Unhoused Families" (2026). Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects. 23.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/hns_plan-b/23