Cognitive decline is a broad syndrome ranging from non-pathological/age-associated cognitive decline to pathological dementia. Mild cognitive impairment MCI) is defined as the stage of cognition that falls between normal ageing and dementia. Studies have found that early lifestyle interventions for MCI may delay its pathological progression. Hence, this review aims to determine the most efficient cognitive tools to discriminate mild cognitive decline in its early stages. After a systematic search of five online databases, a total of 52 different cognitive tools were identified. The performance of each tool was assessed by its psychometric properties, administration time and delivery method. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, n = 15), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, n = 14) and the Clock Drawing Test (CDT, n = 4) were most frequently cited in the literature. The preferable tools with all-round performance are the Six-item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT), MoCA (with the cut-offs of ≤24/22/19/15.5), MMSE (with the cut-off of ≤26) and the Hong Kong Brief Cognitive Test (HKBC). In addition, SAGE is recommended for a self-completed survey setting whilst a 4-point CDT is quick and easy to be added into other cognitive assessments. However, most tools were affected by age and education levels. Furthermore, optimal cut-off points need to be cautiously chosen while screening for MCI among different populations.

People with neurological conditions may face barriers to meal preparation. Culinary nutrition interventions aim to facilitate the building of knowledge and skills for meal preparation. This scoping review aims to map the available evidence for culinary nutrition interventions for people with neurological conditions and evaluate the quality of these interventions based on program design, delivery and evaluation. After a systematic search of online databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and Proquest) and reference lists, a total of ten publications describing nine interventions were included. Most interventions were designed for people with stroke and/or Transient Ischemic Attack (n = 3) and Multiple Sclerosis (n = 3); others were for traumatic brain injury (n = 1), mild dementia (n = 1) and Parkinson’s Disease (n = 1). Overall, the included culinary nutrition interventions had good program delivery (inclusion of motivational experiences, delivered by appropriate health providers) but needed improvements in program design (lack of consumer engagement and neurological symptom accommodations) and evaluation (lack of complete process, outcome and impact evaluations). In conclusion, the evidence base for culinary nutrition interventions for people with neurological conditions remains sparse. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, it is important to consider the following aspects in culinary nutrition intervention planning/improvement: (I) the involvement of consumers; (II) the accommodation/tailoring for post-condition effects; and (III) the coverage of all disease-specific culinary nutrition aspects.

Introduction: Stroke is a life‐altering event for survivors. While improving diet quality is associated with reduced stroke risk, the post‐stroke effects often make meal preparation difficult. There is a lack of published research on culinary nutrition programmes tailored to stroke survivors' recovery journey. This study outlines the co‐design process of a culinary nutrition programme aimed at promoting the uptake of a Mediterranean‐style diet for people who have had a stroke.Methods: Utilising the Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) framework, exploratory interviews and focus groups were conducted with an IKT team comprising six multidisciplinary researchers and three lived experience research partners. A further six stroke survivors and seven stroke clinicians participated in focus groups as end‐users.Results/Discussions: The resulting intervention prototype, titled Cook Well After Stroke, includes a recipe book supplemented with additional programme elements. The IKT team identified critical gaps in current stroke care, particularly during the transition from hospital rehabilitation to home, and key components for the Cook Well After Stroke Programme, including intervention name, overarching principles, recipe guidelines and supporting resources. The recipe book was iteratively developed with stroke survivors, incorporating feedback and suggestions for improvement into the final prototype.Conclusion: This study represents an innovative project to develop a Cook Well After Stroke Programme tailored specifically for Australian stroke survivors, which may contribute to secondary stroke prevention strategies. This project has developed a prototype and identified additional elements required for the further advancement and completion of the Cook Well After Stroke Programme. Further research is needed to adapt the intervention prototype for a more diverse range of stroke survivors and to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and accessibility of this co‐designed programme.