Women’s Preferences for a Culinary Medicine Intervention to Reduce Cardiometabolic Risk During the Menopausal Transition: A Formative Study Protocol

Objectives: During the menopausal transition (MT), changes in hormones and body composition increase cardiometabolic disease risk. Lifestyle interventions, including culinary medicine programs, at midlife can influence women's health into older adulthood. Culinary medicine interventions combine nutrition education with practical cooking skills to empower self-care. Identifying the needs and preferences of individuals in the target population is critical to the development of effective interventions. Thus, this formative online survey aims to 1) determine women's experiences with the menopausal transition; 2) assess current lifestyle practices; 3) identify barriers and facilitators to participating in a lifestyle intervention; and 4) gain input on desired intervention components. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey will be conducted to inform a culinary medicine intervention for women during the menopausal transition. Survey questions will be developed based on a literature review and input from content area experts and stakeholders. Questions will be pilot tested with women to gain feedback on question clarity and relevance. Women 45-60 years of age (target sample size n=200) will be recruited by convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire will be distributed using Redcap (Research Electronic Data Capture) survey software hosted at the West Virginia Clinical and Translation Science Institute. Results: N/A (study protocol). Conclusions: Results from this study will be used to inform the design and development of a culinary medicine based lifestyle intervention for reducing cardiovascular risk among women at midlife. Funding Sources: This project is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch/Multistate Project 1021322 (WVU00725).