USING A COOKING MATTERS NUTRITION INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO ADDRESS HEALTHCARE QUALITY AND ACCESS FOR BLACK ADULTS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN CLEVELAND COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Our team aims to implement the Cooking Matters program to address rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for black adults ages 40 to 64 in Cleveland County, North Carolina. In Cleveland County, the leading cause of death is diseases of the heart, with a death rate of 254.7 per 100,000, which exceeds the state rate of 180.9 per 100,000 (Cleveland County, 2019). Cooking Matters will address CVD by focusing on the role nutrition plays in preventing and managing CVD. The Cooking Matters program was chosen mainly because it fit the community’s request for more affordable health services and nutrition education (“Cleveland County 2019 Community Health Assessment,” 2019). Our team will partner with community organizations to deliver a program that focuses on budgeting, accessing, and preparing meals that are heart-healthy. A prospective cohort study design will be used to evaluate the implementation of the Cooking Matters program in Cleveland County, North Carolina.Master of Public Healt