Examining Cooking as a Health Behavior

A two arm randomized control trial will examine whether the addition of an active cooking lesson versus a passive observed lesson to a behavioral weight loss intervention results in significantly greater weight loss. Additionally, the study will examine whether interventions designed to promote cooking at home can increase participants' sense of food agency, and overcome common barriers to cooking at home such as time scarcity and budget constrictions. Overweight and obese but otherwise healthy participants (n=64) will be recruited. Recruitment and study initiation will occur in two waves. Wave 1 aims to recruit 32 individuals who will then be randomized to 1) a 24 week, 24 session group behavioral weight loss intervention with 12 bi-weekly cooking lessons; or, 2) the same 24 week, 24 session group behavioral weight loss intervention with 12 bi-weekly cooking demonstrations. Both groups get the same intervention and the same counselor delivered intervention elements; the presence of active cooking lessons vs. passive observed cooking demonstrations is the only difference between conditions. Assessments will be conducted at 0, 3 and 6 months. Wave 2 (n=32) will follow the same process as Wave 1 approximately two months after Wave 1 is initiated.