Examination of the Social Experience in a Virtual Culinary Nutrition Program for Dementia Risk Reduction.

OBJECTIVE

Examine the social experience of participants in a pilot virtual nutrition education program for dementia risk reduction.

DESIGN

Observational fieldnotes, digital journal entries, semistructured interviews (n=15), and focus groups (n = 13) were used to collect qualitative data.

SETTING

Two separate but identical Cognitive Kitchen (CK) programs were delivered via Zoom from November to December 2022.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants (n = 21) were adults aged 55 years or over living in Saskatchewan, Canada.

INTERVENTION: The CK consisted of a preprogram orientation and 6 60-90-minute sessions that incorporated nutrition education and interactive food demonstrations.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The functions of social interactions in the program; facilitators and barriers to social engagement within the virtual setting.

ANALYSIS: The interpretive description approach guided inductive coding and the construction of themes.

RESULTS

Four themes were developed. Two themes captured the functions of social interactions in supporting learning and encouraging application. Another theme identified inherent trade-offs: advantages and missed connections with virtual delivery. The last theme described strategies to maximize socialization, ingredients for engagement.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Social interactions facilitated perceived outcomes of enhanced knowledge and implementation of health-promoting strategies among adults in the CK. Careful planning is required to overcome inherent barriers to socialization with web-based program delivery.