199 - Improving Food Allergy Knowledge in New Orleans Middle School Students: Results From a Medical Student-Led Cooking and STEM Summer Program

Publication Number: 2191.199

Michael S. Yang, Tulane University School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Thierry Edwards, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States

Background: Food allergy (FA) affects more than 30 million individuals in the United States, yet awareness and understanding among adults remain limited. Even less is known about FA knowledge among school-aged children, and FA are rarely covered in school curricula. With FA rates in the United States among the highest in the world, there is a need for alternative community-based approaches to build foundational allergy knowledge among youth.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a medical student-led cooking and STEM education summer program in improving FA knowledge among middle school students in New Orleans.

Design/Methods: The Culinary Medicine Initiative (CMI), a Tulane University student-led program, delivered two 3.5-hour sessions on July 19 and July 26, 2025, for 36 youth ages 10 to 13. Each session included a 45-minute lesson covering digestive anatomy, exercise physiology, and FA, followed by hands-on healthy cooking. Participants completed pre- and post-class surveys that included a six-item multiple-choice quiz adapted from the middle school section of the Northwestern Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research's (CFAAR) "Food Allergy Education Guide: Early Childhood Through College," as well as an open-ended prompt to list the top nine allergens. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-intervention scores. A post-program satisfaction survey (1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree) evaluated participant experience.

Results: Multiple-choice scores increased from an average of 3.39 out of 6 (56.5 percent) before class to 4.94 out of 6 (82.4 percent) after class (p < 0.001). Knowledge of the Top 9 allergens increased from an average of 1.25 out of 9 (13.9 percent) to 5.11 out of 9 (56.8 percent) (p < 0.0001). Post-program feedback indicated that students consistently agreed that their science and health knowledge improved (mean 1.94), their cooking knowledge improved (2.35), they were treated with respect (1.44), the student leaders listened to what they had to say (1.82), and they had fun (1.53). All respondents (38 of 38, 100 percent) expressed interest in future classes.

Conclusion(s): A medical student-led culinary and STEM program significantly improved FA knowledge among middle school students, significantly improving recall of the top nine allergens from 1.25 to 5.11 out of 9. Given that FA knowledge remains limited among both U.S. adults and children, this community-based approach represents a promising pathway for increasing FA awareness. Continued efforts to strengthen FA education may support early public health safety, FA prevention, and improve lifelong health literacy.