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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
The culinary medicine elective "Prospective Physicians For Fibre" improves fibre intake and nutrition knowledge in German medical students
BMC Medical Education, Vol.26(148), pp.1-9
28/01/2026
PMID: 41491501
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
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Abstract
Background: Nutrition education remains an underdeveloped component of medical training globally. This gap in knowledge can hinder physicians from effectively integrating nutrition into clinical practice, creating a significant barrier to supporting meaningful dietary changes in patients. We developed a culinary medicine elective for 3rd to 6th year medical students titled "Prospective Physicians For Fibre (PPFF)" to promote students' knowledge about the importance of fibre and its benefits in health and disease.
Methods: The four-week fibre-focused, mixed-methods, short-term, culinary medicine elective PPFF was tested in a non-controlled pilot study. Students' fibre intake and knowledge about fibre were compared in a pre-post design in n = 47 participants.
Results: Participants had a median age of 24 years; females accounted for 72% of the sample. Mean fibre intake based on 2-day weighed food diaries increased from 29.52 ± 10.72 to 38.40 ± 12.14 g/d after the elective (P < .001). Prior to the elective, self-assessed fibre intake ranged from 5 to 1000 g/d, and was not correlated with food diary-based fibre intake. After the elective, self-assessed fibre intakes were more accurate and a strong correlation between self-assessed and actual fibre intake was observed (Spearman's rho = 0.55, P < .001). Students' scoring in the PPFF survey improved significantly from 3.06 ± 1.66 to 7.70 ± 1.49 points (P < .001). The elective received very good ratings and increased students' self-perceived competences in various domains, such as fibre intake assessment, nutrition counselling and cooking skills.
Conclusions: PPFF improves fibre intake and nutrition knowledge in a pilot cohort of German medical students and may equip students with essential skills and competencies for their future career.
Details
- Title
- The culinary medicine elective "Prospective Physicians For Fibre" improves fibre intake and nutrition knowledge in German medical students
- Creators
- Frieda Stübing (Author) - University of FreiburgJulian Herter (Author) - University of FreiburgRoman Huber (Author) - University of FreiburgMegan Lee (Author) - Bond UniversityMaximilian A. Storz (Corresponding Author) - University of Freiburg
- Publication Details
- BMC Medical Education, Vol.26(148), pp.1-9
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Grant note
- Universittsklinikum Freiburg (8975)
Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
- Identifiers
- 991013345638102368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2026.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article