SPICE UP MyPlate - Strategy for Promoting Intake of Delicious Healthful Dietary Patterns Based on MyPlate: A Pilot Study

February 9, 2026 updated by: Kristina Petersen PhD, APD, FAHA, Penn State University
The aim is to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of culinary focused nutrition education to promote increased adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans compared to standard low-intensity care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a 15-week, 2-arm randomized controlled pilot trial. In a 1:1 ratio, participants will be randomized to the intervention arm or the control arm. The intervention group will receive a 12-week culinary focused nutrition education program. The control group will receive standard low-intensity care (i.e., printed healthy eating material). Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and 15 weeks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
55

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Kristina Petersen, PhD
  • Phone Number: 814-865-7206
  • Email: kup63@psu.edu

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, 16802
        • Pennsylvania State University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 31-59 years
  • Involved in meal cooking at home and consumes a home cooked meal ≥ 1 time per week
  • Individuals taking medications for blood pressure, lipid or glucose lowering will be eligible if they have been on a stable dose for the 1 month prior to baseline

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A member of the household is already enrolled (only one person per household will be eligible for inclusion in the study).
  • Unstable medical conditions requiring active intervention (surgeries, medication/drug therapy for < 3 months) as assessed during the telephone screening (e.g. cancer, kidney disease requiring dialysis, heart or gastrointestinal diseases requiring surgery).
  • Received nutrition education for a medical condition within the past 6 months
  • Currently following a weight loss diet
  • Lost ≥ 10% body weight in the past 6 months
  • Currently (within 6 months) smoke or use any tobacco or nicotine containing products
  • Currently pregnant or given birth within the prior 6 months
  • Currently participating in another clinical trial
  • Principal investigator discretion (e.g., disrespectful or inappropriate interactions with study staff)
  • Does not speak or understand English

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Culinary focused nutrition education
The intervention group will receive a 12-week culinary focused nutrition education program. Participants in the intervention group will receive culinary focused nutrition education based on MyPlate with an emphasis on taste and enjoyment of healthy foods. Using herbs and spices to flavor foods will be the emphasis. The intervention will be delivered in an online format with online content delivery . The intervention will consist of eight modules. Modules one to four will be provided during the first month. Modules four to eight will be provided during months 2 and 3.
Behavioral: Culinary focused nutrition education
Culinary focused nutrition education based on MyPlate with an emphasis on taste and enjoyment of healthy foods.
Active Comparator: Standard nutrition education
The control group will represent standard low intensity nutrition education. Control group participants will be provided with a printed MyPlate resource.
Behavioral: Standard low intensity nutrition education
Provided by a written MyPlate resource

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diet quality change
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Change in diet quality assessed by the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) assessed by 24-hour recalls
15 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diet quality component scores change
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Change in the 13 components that comprise the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) assessed by 24 hour recalls
15 weeks
Food group intake change
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Changes in intake of fruits; vegetables; refined grains; wholegrains; dairy; meat, poultry, eggs; seafood; nuts, seeds and soy products; oils) assessed by 24-hour recalls
15 weeks
Change in intake of added sugars, sodium and saturated fat
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Changes in intake of added sugars, sodium and saturated fat assessed by 24 hour recalls
15 weeks
Change in weight
Time Frame: 15 weeks
assessed by electronic scale
15 weeks
Change in waist circumference
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed by tape measure at 1 cm above the naval
15 weeks
Change in central systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed using a SphymoCor Xcel (Atcor Medical)
15 weeks
Change in brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Blood pressure measured assessed using a SphymoCor Xcel (Atcor Medical)
15 weeks
Change in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed using a SphymoCor Xcel (Atcor Medical)
15 weeks
Change in LDL-cholesterol
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed from fasting blood draw expressed in mg/dL. LDL-cholesterol will be measured directly via enzymatic assay.
15 weeks
Change in total cholesterol
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed from fasting blood draw expressed in mg/dL.
15 weeks
Change in HDL-Cholesterol
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed from fasting blood draw expressed in mg/dL.
15 weeks
Change in triglycerides
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed from fasting blood draw expressed in mg/dL.
15 weeks
Change in fasting glucose
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed in a fasting blood draw and expressed in mg/dL
15 weeks
Change in HbA1c
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed in a fasting blood draw and expressed in %
15 weeks
Program acceptability and satisfaction
Time Frame: 15 weeks
Assessed via surveys
15 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Penn State University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kristina Petersen, PhD, Penn State University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 28, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 12, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 12, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 17, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • SUP

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Statistical analysis plan will be uploaded before database lock and unblinding of randomization codes

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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