Individuals with Eating Disorders’ Perspectives on a Meal Preparation Intervention

Rebekah A. Mack, Kerry Kelleher, Jagriti ‘Jackie’ Bhattarai, Tess Spence

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Meal preparation interventions involve people actively cooking food item(s). This study sought to add to the minimal literature by researching patients’ perceptions of the effectiveness of occupational therapy meal preparation activities in preparing them for lower levels of care. Participants engaged in meal preparation groups as part of standard occupational therapy treatment. Quantitative and qualitative data were concurrently analyzed using an embedded mixed-methods approach. Many participants (72%) felt prepared to transition to a lower level of care because of the meal preparation groups. These groups appear to offer critical and beneficial experiential learning for individuals in treatment for eating disorders.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)371-390
Number of pages20
JournalOccupational Therapy in Mental Health
Volume40
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Eating disorder(s)
  • eating
  • exposure
  • meal preparation
  • occupational therapist
  • occupational therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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