Should we teach cooking in schools? A systematic review of the literature of school-based cooking interventions (original) (raw)
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Food related ill health has been estimated to account for about 10% of ill-health and death in the UK, similar to that attributable to smoking. The prevalence of unhealthy diets in the UK and other Westernised societies has been linked in particular to increases in the availability of processed foods and pre-prepared and takeaway meals. While the influences on peoples’ diets in the UK are complex and manyfold, there has been concern that opportunities to learn how to prepare and cook food have been lost over the past few decades, leading to a loss of skills, knowledge and confidence. One of the responses to these concerns has been the development of community-based educational initiatives aimed at adults who want to learn to cook. Jamie Oliver’s ‘Ministry of Food’ initiative is perhaps the best-known of the home cooking initiatives currently being provided in the UK, although large numbers of schemes have been set up across the country. Often these initiatives have been part of a wider programme of developments to address barriers to healthy eating and ill-health more generally. While various forms of home cooking interventions have been tried out, and evaluations have been conducted, it appears that there has been no recent systematic attempt to pull together and appraise the findings of the range of evaluation studies that exists. The systematic review described in this protocol aims to address this gap. It will examine claims for home cooking initiatives, exploring their effects on various outcomes, the section of the population that is ultimately reached by them, and what, in practice, is required for their implementation.
Journal of nutrition education and behavior
Evaluate the effect of a community-based, experiential cooking and nutrition education program on consumption of fruits and vegetables and associated intermediate outcomes in students from low-income families. Quasi-experimental program evaluation by pre-post survey of participating students and their parents. Underserved elementary and middle schools in Chicago. Students (n = 271; 65% girls, 44% Hispanic, 32% African American; 94% eligible for free/reduced price lunch) in grades 3-8 selected by school staff to participate by variable inclusion criteria. 59% of students who applied returned both pre- and post-surveys. Ten-week (2 h/wk) chef-instructor-led program held in cafeteria kitchens after school. Changes in student nutrition knowledge, cooking self-efficacy, fruit and vegetable liking and consumption, and communication to family about healthy eating. Changes from beginning to end of program were analyzed with paired t test. Results were considered significant at P < .05. I...
Journal of Nutrition Education, 1998
The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention for elementary school children, grades K-6, called the Cookshop Program. It was designed to increase preferences for and consumption of minimally processed whole grains and vegetables through cooking these foods in the classroom along with multiple exposures to the same foods in the cafeteria and parent involvement. It emphasized how eating a plant-based diet was not only important for personal health but was also resource conserving or more ecologically sustainable.This outcome evaluation study compared cooking as an educational strategy with the more usual active participatory educational methods. The study used a quasi-experimental, pre/post intervention-comparison group design with 39 classes (590 students) assigned approximately equally, through matching, to four conditions: cookshops plus food and environment lessons (CS + FEL), cookshops only (CS), food and environment lessons only (FEL), and comparison condition (Com), receiving neither cookshops nor lessons. Data were analyzed using a 2 x 2 factorial design using analysis of covariance. Class was the unit of analysis. Main positive effects were obtained for CS on preferences, knowledge, and plate waste in both younger and older children and on behavioral intention in younger children and cooking self-efficacy in older children. Main positive effects were obtained for FEL in knowledge for both age groups.The results suggest that actual cooking experiences and eating food with peers, accompanied by cognitive learning, may provide a promising approach to nutrition education, especially for younger children. Lack of random assignment of classes to conditions was a limitation of the study. Further research is needed to evaluate this approach using randomized designs.
BMC Research Notes, 2011
Background: In Canada, there are limited occasions for youth, and especially at-risk youth, to participate in cooking programs. The paucity of these programs creates an opportunity for youth-focused cooking programs to be developed, implemented, and evaluated with the goal of providing invaluable life skills and food literacy to this potentially vulnerable group. Thus, an 18-month community-based cooking program for at-risk youth was planned and implemented to improve the development and progression of cooking skills and food literacy. Findings: This paper provides an overview of the rationale for and implementation of a cooking skills intervention for at-risk youth. The manuscript provides information about the process of planning and implementing the intervention as well as the evaluation plan. Results of the intervention will be presented elsewhere. Objectives of the intervention included the provision of applied food literacy and cooking skills education taught by local chefs and a Registered Dietitian, and augmented with fieldtrips to community farms to foster an appreciation and understanding of food, from 'gate to plate'. Eight at-risk youth (five girls and three boys, mean age = 14.6) completed the intervention as of November 2010. Pre-test cooking skills assessments were completed for all participants and post-test cooking skills assessments were completed for five of eight participants. Post intervention, five of eight participants completed in-depth interviews about their experience. Discussion: The Cook It Up! program can provide an effective template for other agencies and researchers to utilize for enhancing existing programs or to create new applied cooking programs for relevant vulnerable populations. There is also a continued need for applied research in this area to reverse the erosion of cooking skills in Canadian society.
A Review of Experiential School-Based Culinary Interventions for 5–12-Year-Old Children
Children, 2021
Cooking is an essential skill and the acquisition of cooking skills at an early age is associated with higher diet quality. This review aimed to describe the characteristics of school-based experiential culinary interventions and to determine the value of these to child (5–12 years) health outcomes. Interventions were eligible for inclusion if they took place in school during school hours, included ≥3 classes, and had a control group. Interventions published up to May 2021 were included. The databases searched were PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE, and the grey literature was searched for published reports. The search strategy yielded 7222 articles. After screening, five published studies remained for analysis. Four studies targeted children aged 7–11 years, and one targeted children aged 5–12 years. The interventions included food tasting, food gardening, and/or nutrition education alongside experiential cooking opportunities. Improvements were evident in self-reported attitudes toward v...
Using nutrition education and cooking classes in primary schools to encourage healthy eating
The Journal of Student Wellbeing, 2011
Schools are in the unique position of being able to influence students' eating behaviours in a beneficial manner. Positive peer and teacher modelling can encourage students to try foods they exhibited distaste for previously. Pilot research has shown that when nutrition and cooking sessions are conducted in primary schools, foods refused or untried at home during meal times, such as vegetables, were asked for following the school cooking classes using that same food. In this paper I will discuss how nutrition workshops and cooking classes in primary schools can influence healthy eating habits among schoolaged children. The research indicated that there was a transfer of knowledge around healthy nutrition from a school environment to a home environment through students as agents of change.
Culinary Education Programs for Children in Low-Income Households: A Scoping Review
Children, 2020
Child obesity in the United States is at an all-time high, particularly among underserved populations. Home-cooked meals are associated with lower rates of obesity. Helping children develop culinary skills has been associated with improved nutrition. The purpose of this study is to report results from a scoping review of culinary education interventions with children from low-income families. Three databases and hand searches of relevant articles were examined. Retained articles met inclusionary criteria. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, as appropriate. A data extraction template was developed. Data were independently extracted and verified. Only nine out of 370 articles met the inclusionary criteria and were included in the review. Most interventions were school-based, used a quasi-experimental design, and recruited minority children. Children-only was the primary intervention focus. Primary outcomes were most...
Current developments in nutrition, 2018
Policymakers, scientists, and food and nutrition practitioners suggest that there is a societal decline in culinary skills, which is predictive of poor dietary habits contributing to childhood obesity. A narrative review was conducted to critically evaluate culinary skill interventions for children ages 5-12 y in schools to identify specific programs and programmatic factors associated with improvement in the quality of diet, body mass index (BMI), and positive changes in psychosocial variables. The culinary interventions were implemented in urban and rural areas in the United States, Australia, and England. PubMed and Medline, the Cochrane database, and a hand-search of publications identified 131 articles; 6 articles were selected for further examination on the basis of the inclusion criteria. Study designs included 1 randomized controlled trial and 5 quasi-experimental studies. Three interventions were grounded in behavioral theory, of which 2 incorporated the Social Cognitive Th...