4. Discussion
In this study, we analyzed the expectations and concerns of participants enrolled in a nutrition intervention focused on home cooking. Both contemplated and active participants shared similar expectations to achieve healthy eating and lifestyle goals and to adopt sustainable change. However, while participants in the active stage of change were looking to expand existing knowledge and techniques, participants in the contemplation stage of change were focusing on acquiring culinary knowledge and skills, including self-regulatory skills. In addition, while the concerns of participants in the action group were broadly related to the continuity and sustainability of healthy changes, the concerns of the contemplative participants were more explicit. Concerns included preexisting culinary challenges, insufficient self-regulation abilities, and implementation into the daily routine.Current home cooking education is focused on culinary skills [There were notable differences in the hierarchy of needs required to promote changes between participants in the contemplation and action stages, which is congruent with cognitive processes of change described in the literature [Participants in the action stage related to home cooking were mostly looking to enhance and expand the confidence and culinary skills that they already possessed, and they also stated fewer concerns and challenges. Participants’ responses in this cohort were aligned with the known cognitive processes of action participants [For decades now, studies have demonstrated compelling evidence for tailoring interventions according to a person’s stage of readiness for behavioral change related to improved nutritional benefits [Strengths of this study include a binational cohort and the categorization of responders according to an individual’s home cooking-related stages of change. Limitations include a small number of participants in the action stage of change and the lack of participant social diversity. Further studies are needed to explore participant goals and expectations from home cooking interventions depending on stages of change and whether these goals and expectations vary according to sociodemographic status and ethnic background. Further research is also needed to determine whether a personalized intervention, based on behavioral factors such as stages of change, will result in positive, sustainable home cooking habits.