Application of Behavioral Theory in Cooking Interventions Targeting Dietary Intake in Adults: A Systematic Review

Objective

Studies of cooking interventions often state that behavioral theory was used to inform intervention development. However, to understand why interventions impact behavior change, it is crucial to understand how theory is used in the development, evaluation, and interpretation of interventions.

Design

We conducted a systematic review by searching PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL for articles published between January, 2000 and March, 2023.

Participants

We considered studies involving adults aged > 18 years.

Variables Measured

Dietary intake was the primary outcome, and cooking behavior was the secondary outcome.

Analysis

We used the Theory Coding Scheme to assess theory use. We used descriptive statistics to summarize study characteristics and outcomes of interest.

Results

We identified 7,846 unique articles; 31 met the inclusion criteria. On average, studies met less than 6 of 17 criteria from the Theory Coding Scheme. The majority (65%) of interventions had a positive impact on at least 1 measure of dietary intake. However, more than half (55%) measured cooking behavior and only 41% of these reported a positive impact on cooking behavior.

Conclusions and Implications

These findings support the need for future studies to link intervention techniques with theoretical constructs and evaluate whether changes in constructs mediate improvements in dietary intake and cooking behavior.