Hands-on cooking classes to help young adults with intellectual disabilities keep weight off

Cooking Skills to Improve Long-Term Weight Loss in Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

This program will test whether adding in-person cooking classes to a weight-loss plan helps young adults (18–35) with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities lose weight and keep it off.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 114 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 35 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: University of Kansas Medical Center (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Kansas City, Kansas)
• Trial ID: NCT06961591 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This randomized 24-month trial will enroll 114 young adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability and BMI >24.9 and assign them to either a standard enhanced stoplight weight-loss program (eSLD) or the same program plus hands-on cooking classes (eSLD+Chef-ID). All participants follow the enhanced stoplight diet, are given an iPad with exercise videos, a wearable activity tracker, and receive monthly Zoom coaching for 18 months, with targets of ≥120 minutes aerobic and 30 minutes strength training per week. The eSLD+Chef-ID group attends cooking classes twice monthly for the first 6 months and monthly from months 7–18, while the control group receives short motivational videos instead of classes. Weight and other outcomes (cooking skills, body fat, blood pressure, cholesterol, daily living skills, and caregiver stress) are measured at baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months to compare long-term weight loss and health effects.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are 18–35 years old with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability, BMI over 24.9, living with a caregiver who helps with meals and can act as a study partner, and who can participate in physical activity and attend study visits for 24 months.

Not a fit: People who cannot do physical activity, have insulin-dependent diabetes, have Prader-Willi syndrome, are recently pregnant or currently breastfeeding, or are already enrolled in a weight-management program are unlikely to benefit or are excluded.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, adding cooking classes could improve long-term weight loss, practical cooking skills, and related health measures for young adults with intellectual disabilities.

How similar studies have performed: Cooking-skills and lifestyle programs have shown benefits for diet quality and weight in the general population and limited pilot work in people with intellectual disabilities exists, so combining hands-on cooking with weight management is promising but not yet widely proven in this population.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosis of mild-to-moderate intellectual disability (ID).
2. 18-35 years of age.
3. BMI \>24.9, Body weight \<350lbs.
4. Sufficient functional ability to understand directions, communicate preferences, e.g., foods, wants, and can communicate through spoken language e.g., request more to eat/drink, asks for assistance with food preparation.
5. Living at home with a parent/guardian, or in a supported living environment with a caregiver who assists with food shopping, meal planning, and meal preparation and agrees to serve as a study partner.
6. Plan to attend all study required visits over the next 24 mos.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to participate in PA.
2. Insulin dependent diabetes as this condition requires medical monitoring beyond the scope of this study.
3. Participation in a weight management program involving diet, PA, or pharmacotherapy in the past 6 mos.
4. Diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome.
5. Pregnancy during the previous 6 mos., currently lactating or planned pregnancy in the following 24 mos. Participants who become pregnant will be removed from the study and referred to appropriate agencies for consultation.
6. Serious medical risk, e.g., cancer, recent heart attack, stroke, angioplasty as determined by the PCP.
7. Unwilling to be randomized.
8. Unable to participate in small group, in-person instruction.
9. Use of wheelchair or power chair as primary locomotion.

Where this trial is running

Kansas City, Kansas

• University of Kansas Medical Center — Kansas City, Kansas, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Lauren Ptomey, PhD

Conditions Intellectual Disability; Overweight and Obesity; Weight Loss Maintenance; Cooking Skills; Weight loss; Down syndrome