One in ten Americans suffers from type 2 diabetes, which, if not managed well, can result in severe complications, disability, and premature death. Diabetes education classes can play a pivotal role in providing practical education on diabetes and self-care behaviors, with a particular emphasis on dietary management, which is often regarded as the most demanding diabetes self-care behavior. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service developed Cooking Well with Diabetes (CWWD), a four-week interactive diabetes education series, with each week consisting of a lecture on healthy eating coupled with cooking lessons featuring diabetes-friendly recipes. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of CWWD in improving the frequency of healthy food preparation and consumption of program participants. Secondary data from 2017 to 2023 was analyzed involving 1574 adults from 59 predominantly rural Texas counties. Data from self-reported pre and post evaluations showed improvements in healthy food preparation and consumption behaviors. The curriculum enabled Extension Educators to introduce healthful dietary behaviors to a diverse group of clients. The curriculum can be adapted by Extension Educators in other states reaching a broader audience. The findings will inform future research aimed at planning and implementing successful diabetes education programs.

Background: High intake of food away from home is associated with poor diet quality. This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic period and Food Away from Home (FAFH) inflation rate fluctuations influenced dining out behaviors. Methods: Approximately 2800 individuals in Texas reported household weekly dining out frequency and spending. Responses completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2019 to early 2020) were compared to the post-COVID-19 period (2021 through mid-2022). Multivariate analysis with interaction terms was used to test study hypotheses. Results and Conclusion: From the COVID-19 period (before vs. after), the unadjusted frequency of dining out increased from 3.4 times per week to 3.5 times per week, while the amount spent on dining out increased from $63.90 to $82.20. Once the relationship between dining out (frequency and spending) was adjusted for FAFH interest rate and sociodemographic factors, an increase in dining out frequency post-COVID-19 remained significant. However, the unadjusted increase in dining out spending did not remain significant. Further research to understand the demand for dining out post-pandemic is warranted.

Background/Objectives: Nearly three-quarters of American adults are overweight or obese, leading to serious health challenges. Poor nutrition is a major contributor, highlighting the need for effective nutrition education and cooking interventions. This study evaluated the impact of the Dinner Tonight Healthy Cooking School (DTHCS) on improving nutrition knowledge and cooking confidence among participants. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted on self-reported retrospective surveys collected from 7932 individuals across 64 Texas counties between September 2017 and March 2024. The surveys assessed changes in participants’ understanding of key nutrition concepts (rated using a four-point scale from poor to excellent) and their confidence in cooking healthy meals (rated using a four-point scale from none to high) before and after attending the program. Results: The findings showed significant improvements in both nutrition knowledge (from fair to good p < 0.001) and cooking confidence (from low to moderate p < 0.001) following program participation. Conclusions: These results highlight the vital role of nutrition and culinary education in addressing the growing obesity epidemic and reducing the risk of diet-related chronic conditions. Given the positive program outcomes, DTHCS has the potential to inform future studies and guide successful planning and implementation of community-based cooking programs for adults to promote healthier eating behaviors.