Influence of a School-Based Cooking Course on Students’ Food Preferences, Cooking Skills, and Confidence
Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
1 February 2017
Abstract
A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the influence of Project CHEF, a hands-on cooking and tasting program offered in Vancouver public schools, on students’ food preferences, cooking skills, and confidence. Grade 4 and 5 students in an intervention group (n = 68) and a comparison group (n = 32) completed a survey at baseline and 2 to 3 weeks later. Students who participated in Project CHEF reported an increased familiarity and preference for the foods introduced through the program. This was statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) for broccoli, swiss chard, carrots, and quinoa. A higher percentage of students exposed to Project CHEF reported a statistically significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in: cutting vegetables and fruit (97% vs 81%), measuring ingredients (67% vs 44%), using a knife (94% vs 82%), and making a balanced meal on their own (69% vs 34%). They also reported a statistically significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in confidence making the recipes introduced in the program: fruit salad (85% vs 81%), minestrone soup (25% vs 10%), and vegetable tofu stir fry (39% vs 26%). Involving students in hands-on cooking and tasting programs can increase their preferences for unpopular or unfamiliar foods and provide them with the skills and cooking confidence they need to prepare balanced meals.
Résumé
Une étude quasi expérimentale a été menée pour évaluer l’influence du projet CHEF, un programme pratique de cuisine et de dégustation offert dans les écoles publiques de Vancouver, sur les préférences alimentaires, les compétences culinaires et la confiance des élèves. Des élèves de 4e et de 5e année dans un groupe d’intervention (n = 68) et un groupe de comparaison (n = 32) ont répondu à un sondage au début du programme et de deux à trois semaines plus tard. Les élèves ayant participé au projet CHEF ont signalé une connaissance accrue des aliments présentés durant le programme ainsi qu’une préférence accrue pour ces derniers. Ces accroissements étaient statistiquement significatifs (P ≤ 0,05) pour le brocoli, la bette à cardes, les carottes et le quinoa. Un pourcentage accru d’élèves exposés au projet CHEF ont signalé une augmentation statistiquement significative (P ≤ 0,05) de leurs compétences pour : couper des légumes et des fruits (97 % vs 81 %), mesurer des ingrédients (67 % vs 44 %), utiliser un couteau (94 % vs 82 %) et cuisiner un repas équilibré par eux-mêmes (69 % vs 34 %). Ils ont aussi signalé une augmentation statistiquement significative (P ≤ 0,05) de la confiance en leur capacité de réaliser des recettes présentées durant le programme : salade de fruits (85 % vs 81 %), soupe minestrone (25 % vs 10 %) et sauté de tofu aux légumes (39 % vs 26 %). Faire participer des élèves à des programmes pratiques de cuisine et de dégustation peut accroître leur préférence pour les aliments impopulaires ou moins courants et leur transmettre des compétences et la confiance dont ils ont besoin pour préparer des repas équilibrés.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Source of financial support: This study was conducted as a CAPSTONE project for the University of Massachusetts MPH in Nutrition program and did not receive any funding or financial incentives.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
References
1
Roberts KC, Shields M, de Groh M, Aziz A, and Gilbert JA.Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: results from the 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Health Rep.2012;23(3):37–41.
2
James WPT. The epidemiology of obesity. The size of the problem. J Intern Med.2008;263(4):336–52.
3
Nicklas TA, Jahns L, Bogle ML, Chester DN, Giovanni M, and Klurfeld DM, et al.Barriers and facilitators for consumer adherence to the dietary guidelines for Americans: the HEALTH study. J Acad Nutr Diet.2013;113(10):1317–31.
4
Hyland R, Stacy R, Adamson A, and Moynihan P.Nutrition-related health promotion through an after-school project: the responses of children and their families. Soc Sci Med.2006;62(3):758–68.
5
de Sa J, Lock K. School-based fruit and vegetable schemes: a review of the evidence. London, U.K.: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; 2007 [cited 2016 Jan 28]. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/sfs/documents/de_sa_lock_en.pdf.
6
Hersch D, Perdue L, Ambroz T, and Boucher JL.The impact of cooking classes on food-related preferences, attitudes, and behaviors of school-aged children: a systematic review of the evidence, 2003–2014. Prev Chronic Dis.2014;11:140267.
7
Liquori T, Koch PD, Contento IR, and Castle J.The cookshop program: outcome evaluation of a nutrition education program linking lunchroom food experiences with classroom cooking experiences. J Nutr Educ.1998;30(5):302–13.
8
Cunningham-Sabo L and Lohse B.Cooking with kids positively affects fourth graders’ vegetable preferences and attitudes and self-efficacy for food and cooking. Child Obes. 2013;9(6):549–56.
9
Cunningham-Sabo L and Lohse B.Impact of a school-based cooking curriculum for fourth-grade students on attitudes and behaviours is influenced by gender and prior cooking experience. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014;46(2):110–20.
10
Caraher M, Seeley A, Wu M, and Lloyd S.When chefs adopt a school? An evaluation of a cooking intervention in English primary schools. Appetite. 2013;62:50–9.
11
John JH and Ziebland S.Reported barriers to eating more fruit and vegetables before and after participation in a randomized controlled trial: a qualitative study. Health Educ Res. 2004;19(2):165–74.
12
Townsend MS, Johns M, Shilts MK, and Farfan-Ramirez L.Evaluation of a USDA nutrition education program for low-income youth. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2006;38(1):30–41.
13
Perez-Rodrigo C and Aranceta J.Nutrition education for school children living in a low-income urban area in Spain. J Nutr Educ.1997;29(5):267–73.
14
Condrasky M, Griffin SG, Michaud P, and Clark C.Cooking with a chef: a formative evaluation of a culinary intervention program designed to improve dietary intake patterns of low-income caregivers and their families. J Ext.2010;48(2):Article 2FEA1 [cited 2015 Jan 28]. Available from: http://www.joe.org/joe/2010april/a1.php.
15
Hartmann C, Dohle S, and Siegrist M.Importance of cooking skills for balanced food choices. Appetite. 2013;65:125–31.
16
Birch LL.Development of food preferences. Ann Rev Nutr. 1999;19(1):41–62.
17
Holsten JE, Deatrick JA, Kumanyika S, Pinto-Martin J, and Compher CW.Children’s food choice process in the home environment. A qualitative descriptive study. Appetite. 2012;58(1):64–73.
18
van der Horst K, Ferrage A, and Rytz A. Involving children in meal preparation. Effects on food intake. Appetite. 2014;79:18–24.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 78 • Number 1 • March 2017
Pages: 37 - 41
History
Version of record online: 1 February 2017
Copyright
© 2017.
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Other Metrics
Citations
Cite As
RolaZahr and LindiweSibeko. 2017. Influence of a School-Based Cooking Course on Students’ Food Preferences, Cooking Skills, and Confidence. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research.
78(1): 37-41. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2016-030
Export Citations
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
1. Influence of Cooking Workshops on Cooking Skills and Knowledge among Children Attending Summer Day Camps
View Options
Get Access
Login options
Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Subscribe
Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
