A Remote Pilot Tests Culinary Workshops and Coaching for Cancer Caregivers

Drexel University and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia tested an eight-week remotely delivered culinary medicine program with ten caregiver-child pairs during childhood cancer treatment. Caregivers attended four live virtual culinary workshops and received four individualized coaching calls. The program, called Caregivers’ Kitchen, was designed for families managing treatment-related nutrition challenges while building skills they could use beyond treatment. Researchers said caregivers must help children get enough nutrition while managing nausea, poor appetite, taste changes, weight changes, and the general stress of feeding a child. As treatment ends and recovery begins, nutrition priorities can shift toward healthy growth, weight maintenance, and eating habits that support long-term health. The small pilot found that families considered the program useful and acceptable, with high overall satisfaction and encouraging engagement, according to Drexel. That matters because a fixed set of healthy-food instructions may not fit a child whose symptoms and nutrition needs change during treatment. Participants also said scheduling and lengthy assessments could add burden. Drexel said those lessons will inform a more flexible and self-paced version that retains individualized coaching. The pilot does not establish improved nutrition, health outcomes, or reduced caregiver burden, but it identifies a practical design question for the next study: whether support can fit into an already demanding care routine.