Cooking Interventions (COOKING RESEARCH STUDIES)

In this 2018 study, parent-child dyads from low-income areas in Minneapolis-St Paul (Minnesota) took part in a program designed to enhance cooking skills and nutritional knowledge. The overall aim of this study was to measure the impact of this vegetable-focused program on the participants’ liking for vegetables, cooking confidence, barriers to cooking, attitude towards cooking, variety in vegetables consumed, and the general availability of vegetables in their homes. The sessions involved demonstration, food preparation, nutrition education, and a meal. The 89 child-parent dyads attended these 2-hour sessions once a week for 6 weeks. The results indicated that following this program, the parents became more confident in their cooking skills, their uptake of healthy food preparation increased, the children improved at cooking, both parent and child began eating a wider variety of vegetables, and more vegetables were brought to the house. In summary, this vegetable-focused cooking and nutrition program for parents and children showed short-term improvements in psychosocial factors, and also increased vegetable variety and availability at home.