Teaching kitchens in medical rehabilitation – an inventory
- 15.02.2026
- English Articles
- Anne Schumacher
- Angelina Heumüller
- Sigrid Hahn
Peer reviewed / Manuskript (original) submitted: 12 June 2025; revision accepted: 02 September 2025
Introduction
Alongside statutory health insurance (German: gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (GKV)), the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV Bund)1 is the most important funding organization for medical rehabilitation in Germany. In contrast to GKV, which does not stipulate any requirements for nutritional therapy, the DRV defines nutritional therapy measures as an integral part of rehabilitation services. These nutritional therapy measures include teaching kitchen events (German: Lehrküchenveranstaltung [LKV]).1 However, the aims of the LKV are only outlined in very general terms [1].
The LKV helps to deepen acquired knowledge about healthy eating and to put it into practice by improving cooking and everyday skills. The focus is on strengthening motivation for sustainable lifestyle change, which can stabilize health in the long term. However, specific guidelines and targets for LKV are still lacking. According to the current state, there are hardly any scientific studies or publications on the “teaching kitchen” intervention as part of nutrition therapy. ...
Abstract
Concrete guidelines for the equipment and implementation of the therapeutic teaching kitchen event (German: Lehrküchenveranstaltung [LKV]) are still lacking. One aim of the mixed-methods study LeKER is to analyze the current situation by means of a quantitative online survey of nutrition therapy specialists (n = 116).
Space and equipment are mostly rated as good. Structures and processes are heterogeneous. Around half of the respondents formulated concrete goals for the LKV. Evaluation and documentation rarely take place due to a lack of target formulation and time limitations. It is difficult to formulate objectives due to the predominantly cross-indication nature of LKV and the lack of integration into a nutritional therapy concept.
The development of structured, goal-orientated concepts for the further development and quality assurance of LKV is urgently required. The recommendations of the LeKER framework concept for the structured conceptualisation, formulation of objectives, evaluation and documentation can make an important contribution here.
