MON-583 Identifying Active Duty Military Meal Planning Preferences to Maximize Nutrition Therapy for Obesity

INTRODUCTION: Obesity rates exceed 30% for active duty service members with vitals in the military health system electronic medical records. Although nutrition therapy is a cornerstone of treatment for all individuals with obesity, it is even more important in active duty service members, who have restrictions for obesity medications and are not eligible to receive bariatric surgery. Among nutrition therapy services, online nutritional cooking classes are the most desired intervention by patients at our institution. We currently do not have this resource available. The aim of this survey was to identify meal planning preferences among active duty service members to guide the development of online nutritional cooking classes. METHODS: Surveys were distributed to active duty service members and/or their spouses at San Antonio Military Medical Center and Wilford Hall Medical Center in the summer of 2019. Data included preferences for time spent cooking each meal, weekly grocery budget, meal size, batch cooking preference, available kitchen equipment, most common meals eaten, and desired features in an online nutritional cooking class. RESULTS: 141 surveys were collected, 77% of whom were active duty service members and 23% of whom were spouses of active duty service members. Most respondents stated they could spend 15 minutes or less on cooking breakfast (65%) and lunch (69%) on a daily basis. The majority of respondents (84%) were willing to batch cook. Half of respondents (50%) were willing to spend $100-$150 on food per week. Over 90% of respondents had to cook for a household of 4 people or less. Of respondents with children, 78% fed children the same meal that they cooked for themselves. About half of respondents had a food processor (55%) and an electronic pressure cooker (52%). Few respondents (14%) shopped for food at specialty grocery stores or farmer’s markets. Half of respondents (50%) preferred a 5–10 minute duration for each online nutritional cooking class. Of the many highly desired features for the classes, the option to watch on a smart phone was the most desired feature (97%). CONCLUSION: This sample of active duty service members and their spouses demonstrated a high degree of congruity for meal planning preferences and requested features for online nutritional cooking classes. Development of online nutritional cooking classes targeted to these preferences may lead to a higher success rate of nutrition therapy than current interventions. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official views or policy of the Department of Defense or its Components.