Improvement in Nutritional Knowledge Confidence and Food-Agency: Outcomes of the First French-Speaking Culinary Medicine Courses Among Medical Students

Abstract

Background Medical students often lack sufficient nutrition education, leading to confidence gaps and an inability to address this healthcare aspect. Culinary Medicine (CM) courses offer an innovative solution. Methods We tested the first French-speaking CM courses among 2 groups of second-third year medical students, compared to a control group (CG). The objectives were to assess if an optional CM course could enhance their confidence in both nutritional knowledge and providing nutritional advice, and improve their food agency (CAFPAS: Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale). The analysis examines changes in scores by comparing post-session to pre-session questionnaire measurements. Results Of the 22 CM students and 6 in CG, predominantly aged 20-25 years, Caucasian, and female, the majority (CG = 100%, CM = 86.4%) reported <5 hours of nutrition education. Almost all expressed dissatisfaction with nutrition education provided in medicine, both quantitatively and qualitatively. CM students reported significantly increased confidence in their knowledge and ability to advise about nutrition during the sessions. We also observed improvements in their CAFPAS scores, which measure food agency, while the control group exhibited no change in confidence or CAFPAS scores. Conclusion The findings highlight CM as practical strategy for integrating nutrition education into medical curricula, offering insights for enhancing future physicians’ knowledge.