Caregiver's Kitchen: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study of a Culinary Medicine and Coaching Intervention for...

Caregivers play a central role in managing the nutrition challenges that arise during pediatric cancer treatment, yet many report insufficient knowledge, low confidence, and limited support for preparing foods that address treatment-related side effects. Culinary medicine, integrating nutrition education with hands-on cooking, may help caregivers navigate these challenges, but caregiver-centered programs in pediatric oncology are scarce. Caregiver's Kitchen is an eight-week, remotely delivered culinary medicine and coaching intervention designed to strengthen caregiver nutrition knowledge, cooking skills, and confidence in managing their child's symptoms. This mixed-methods feasibility study evaluated program feasibility and acceptability and explored caregiver experiences to inform refinement of a future trial. Ten caregiver-child dyads were enrolled. Caregivers participated in four live virtual culinary workshops and four individualized telephone coaching sessions. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, assessment completion, engagement, and acceptability, assessed against predefined progression criteria. Qualitative feedback was collected through post-intervention open-ended survey questions and analyzed using rapid content analysis. Three of five feasibility criteria were met. Recruitment targets were achieved (2-3 dyads/week), and engagement was high, with 80% attending ≥3 workshops and 90% completing ≥2 coaching calls. Acceptability was strong (mean ratings 4.35/5). Assessment completion declined at later time points. Qualitative findings highlighted the usefulness of practical culinary guidance, accessible recipes, and individualized coaching, while identifying scheduling constraints and lengthy assessments as barriers. Caregiver insights informed refinements to enhance feasibility, including transitioning to self-paced modules and streamlining assessments. Findings support progression to a larger pilot trial.