This thesis examines the impact of community-based nutrition literacy and cooking education programming on the knowledge set and dietary patterns of participants of The Cookbook Project (CBP). I developed a quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test study design with the specific aims of evaluating the level of knowledge retention of students enrolled in CBP’s Food Literacy and Cooking Education Skills program, and to investigate the impact of CBP programming on dietary choices and patterns. Under the supervision of Dr. Jeannette Gustat, we secured a grant provided by the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching at Tulane University totaling $2,300. Chapter One includes a literature review addressing the scope of the need for nutrition literacy and cooking education. Chapter Two explains the methods of obtaining data. Chapter Three will summarize the baseline findings, and Chapter Four will contain a review of the curriculum and discuss recommendations for future nutrition education curricula. The appendices will contain the protocol submitted to, and approved by, the Institutional Review Board, the survey used, dietary screener, research consent form, and official IRB approval documentation.
