Culinary Medicine: An Evaluation to Assess the Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Confidence of 1st Year Medical Students in a Culinary Medicine Teaching Kitchen

The World Health Organization predicts that two-thirds of all disease around the globe will be the result of lifestyle choices by the year 2020. Increasing obesity rates contribute to these climbing numbers. The direct relation between obesity and comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), Type II Diabetes, and hypertension cannot be denied. Obesity is directly associated with higher risks of developing CVD, Type II Diabetes, hypertension, and many other health conditions. All of the aforementioned health conditions are associated with physical activity, nutrition and other lifestyle behaviors. In order to combat these extremely prevalent health conditions, it is ideal to prevent these conditions before they ever occur. The practice of preventive medicine and lifestyle medicine are becoming more common. However, it is nationally recognized that the U.S. healthcare curricula does not currently teach healthcare providers the necessary knowledge required for exercise and nutrition competencies. In response to this deficit in the medical education curriculum, programs such as the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (GCCM) at Tulane University School of Medicine are becoming increasingly popular. At this point, over fifty medical schools have implemented the GCCM program into their curriculum. Many lifestyle medicine, preventive medicine, culinary medicine and culinary nutrition programs are effectively helping healthcare providers and patients adopt healthier lifestyles