Cook2DIAbeat: Healthier Eating for Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management: Cocreating a Novel Nutrition Education Program with Culinary Medicine
The main priority of the Cook2DIAbeat project was to improve the availability of high-quality learning activities for adult patients with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes (hereafter referred toa s diabetes) rose globally in 2019 to become the 5th cause of death, and according to the International diabetes Federation, 59 million adults in the European region are living with diabetes, for which a 15% increase is expected by 2045.
Several studies have shown that interventions based on lifestyle modifications may have a substantial risk reduction associated with diabetes. Cook2DIAbeat aimed to empower people with diabetes to self-manage their chronic disease through their diet. It has done so by developing an online education program based on culinary medicine. In addition to nutrition, culinary medicine examines the role of food preparation and eating patterns, and promotes a positive attitude towards eating and cooking.
Cook2DIAbeat addressed patients’ needs using a co-creation approach. The idea behind this approach is that patients are not passive receivers of complicated health information, but are core participants in the design and implementation of the e-learning tool made to fit their needs. The Cook2DIAbeat training was thus co-created with people with diabetes, including those of lower socioeconomic status, and health professionals with a specialisation in diabetes. In contrast with the most available, more theoretical nutrition trainings applied to patients with diabetes, the Cook2DIAbeat project developed a set of exercises and activities, including culinary courses, to serve as a training with more practical assignments that can be easily adjusted to patients’ everyday life. Participants will be able to learn and improve their knowledge about nutrition, culinary techniques and their effects on health, as well as physical exercise and emotional aspects of dealing with diabetes, in order to better manage their diabetes.
Having started in late 2022, the Cook2DIAbeat project was a 3-year Erasmus+ project co-funded by the European Commission. Its 6-partner consortium, representing 4 EU countries, used a transdisciplinary approach from leading academic, communication, and culinary and health organisations. EUFIC’s role in Cook2DIAbeat was to support the development of the training material and to evaluate how people with diabetes respond to the education program.
In order to maximize the quality of the e-learning materials, EUFIC worked together with the other consortium partners to set up various co-creation sessions with both diabetes patients and their caregivers, and health professionals specialized in treating diabetes. By listening to their stories, the platform could be catered to their specific needs, making it completely tailored to the core audience. This approach ensured a practical set of exercises, in line with the expectations of the patients.
To ensure the quality and effectiveness of the e-learning platform, EUFIC examined the impact of using the platform among diabetes patients by performing a longitudinal survey. By designing two follow-up questionnaires, EUFIC could precisely monitor whether the e-learning platform improved both diabetes knowledge and dietary patterns. After the reporting period, we found that the e-learning platform was responsible for an increase in diabetes knowledge, and improvements in dietary patterns among diabetes patients.
- Malou Reipurth, Research Manager. malou.reipurth@eufic.org
- Betty Chang, Research Lead. betty.chang@eufic.org
- Instagram @cook2DIAbeat
- Facebook: cook2DIAbeat