Acceptance of a meal kit programme in an outpatient paediatric weight management clinic: A qualitative pilot study

Lack of food preparation knowledge, time to prepare meals and concerns about fruit and vegetable spoilage before consumption are the potential barriers to home cooking. These barriers may be addressed by meal kits (bundles of recipes and ingredients). We described home cooking barriers and evaluated acceptability of meal kits, using semi-structured focus groups with caregivers and adolescent patients of an outpatient paediatric weight management clinic. One meal kit per family, containing non-perishable food, a $20 gift card to a grocery store and recipes designed by clinic dietician for two meals, were given at clinic appointments. Two in-person semi-structured focus groups were conducted within 2 weeks of meal kit receipt. Four adolescent participants (75% female; 12.7 +/- 0.9 years) and eight caregivers (88% female) participated in the focus groups. Four barriers to home cooking were identified: (a) healthy food cost, (b) preparation time, (c) food preparation knowledge and (d) picky eaters. Participants felt the meal kits addressed the time and lack of food preparation knowledge barriers to home cooking. A clinical meal kit programme was acceptable to a treatment-seeking adolescent population with obesity and their caregivers.