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Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has decreased among university students in many countries. Cooking skills (CS) and food skills (FS) have been suggested as potential targets for reversing this decline. This study aims to determine CS and FS and to examine their relationship with adherence to the Mediterranean diet in young adults attending university in Türkiye. This cross‐sectional study was conducted between March 2022 and April 2022 at Ondokuz Mayıs University in Samsun, Türkiye, and included 859 university students (56.1% women; mean age 22.57 ± 2.75 years). Sociodemographic characteristics were collected. The CS and FS measure and the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) were administered. The mean MEDAS, CS and FS scores were 4.77 ± 1.97, 59.10 ± 18.17 and 77.81 ± 22.27, respectively. Those with higher MEDAS scores (quartile three and quartile four‐Q3 and Q4) had significantly higher CS scores than those with lower scores (Q1 and Q2), while those in the lowest quartile (Q1) had lower FS scores than all other quartiles (p < 0.001). Total scores of CS and FS positively, although weakly, correlated with MEDAS (r = 0.227 and r = 0.296; p < 0.001). Two separate models for CS and FS were analysed; along with access to kitchen facilities, CS and FS contributed the most variability, accounting for 8.9% and 11.8% of the variance in MEDAS, respectively (p < 0.001). This research indicates that higher CS and FS in university students are associated with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet. It is also recommended that kitchen facilities be provided for them to practice these skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a lifelong treatment that improves health and better outcomes are associated with follow‐up. However, there is lack of access or high attrition to aftercare. This potentially contributes to sub‐optimal dietary intake and a lack of evidence for nutrition interventions. The present study assessed the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a nutrition intervention to improve diet quality in Australian adults living with a SG. Methods: Adults (n = 96) post‐SG were recruited into a cross‐sectional diet quality study, with 68 eligible for randomisation to an intervention or wait‐list control group. Over 10 weeks, a Facebook group was used to post daily nutrition education. Feasibility outcomes included participant recruitment, engagement, retention and acceptability. Preliminary efficacy was assessed using change in Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). Linear mixed models were used to measure differences in mean outcome between the experimental groups over time. Results: Sixty‐eight participants (97% female) aged 48.2 ± 9.8 years, body mass index 33.1 ± 5.8 kg/m2, and mean ± SD ARFS 39 ± 9 points were randomised to the intervention, with 66% retention at 10 weeks. At follow‐up, diet quality increased for the intervention group (mean ARFS, 95% confidence interval = 0.2 [−1.5 to 1.9]) and decreased for the control group (mean ARFS, 95% confidence interval= −2.0 [−5.2 to 1.2]) with no between group difference (p = 0.2). Participants (n = 30) rated the intervention positively. Conclusions: Recruiting and retaining adults post‐SG into a nutrition intervention is feasible. Low‐cost recruitment attracted strong interest from women to identify greater support to know what to eat following SG. A future fully powered trial to assess intervention efficacy is warranted. Highlights: An online nutrition education intervention for Australian adults' post‐sleeve gastrectomy has been found to be effective and feasibleThe interventions attracted strong interest, especially from women, who were looking for greater support in understanding what to eat after a sleeve gastrectomy.Researchers recommend conducting a fully powered trial to assess the efficacy of this intervention further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aims to explore how young adults perceive cooking contents on social media and their interaction with it. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative study using semi structured interviews with Brazilian young adults who cook (19–24 years old, n = 31) was the method employed. Interview audio recordings were transcribed and submitted to inductive and reflexive thematic analysis. Findings: Data analysis generated six different themes. Young adults valued the profiles' aesthetics and quality in terms of straightforwardness, trustworthiness, novelty and authenticity of information; they also identified with the profiles' authors. When pressed for time, aesthetics was less valued than straightforwardness. Participants felt overwhelmed by the excessive information on social media and developed coping strategies to deal with this issue. Originality/value: The lack of cooking and food skills is a recognized barrier for healthy eating in the young adult population. Social media can play a prominent role in delivering cooking-related information to the younger generation, but research on people's perceptions of the cooking content available online is scarce and does not focus on how actual engagement with the available content happens. This qualitative exploration revealed which features young adults prefer when using social media to access cooking content, which can inform future interventions to promote cooking and improve health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Food literacy (FL) is a rapidly emerging area of research that provides a framework to explain the interplay of food-related skills, beliefs, knowledge and practises that contribute to nutritional health and wellbeing. This review is the first to scope the current literature for FL interventions, assess their characteristics against the components provided in the most widely cited definition of FL. and describe their characteristics to identify gaps in the literature. Methods: This review scopes original articles describing FL interventions in the Medline, CINAHL, ProQuest Education, Web of Science and AMED databases up to August 2023. Results: Despite the heterogeneity between all seven included studies, they all demonstrated some improvements in their FL outcome measures alongside dietary intake (DI), with the greatest improvements seen in studies that employed a FL theoretical framework in intervention design. Populations at high risk of food insecurity, such as university students and people living in disadvantaged areas, were the main targets of FL interventions. Conclusion: The minimal inclusion of FL theory amongst interventions led to an overall poor coverage of essential FL components, indicating researchers should aim to design future FL interventions with a FL theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Occupational therapy (OT) has historically used cooking as an intervention and assessment approach across settings. Current practices in OT and the emergence of the multidisciplinary field of culinary medicine highlight the relationship between cooking and health.Aims/Objectives To map the current literature on OT and cooking and to identify key factors that may facilitate collaboration within culinary medicine.Materials and Methods We conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology to identify primary contexts and clinical settings. Publications were analysed using framework thematic analysis to identify OT themes and roles.Results A total of 56 studies met the criteria for inclusion. The majority of studies (n = 29, 53%) represented home/community settings and brain injury was the largest clinical group (n = 15, 27%). Primary themes related to person (n = 47, 43%), occupation (n = 30 (28%), environment (n = 19, 17%), and psychosocial wellbeing (n = 13, 12%). The primary OT role identified was that of interventionist (n = 48, 86%).Conclusions/Significance OT’s holistic practice places cooking within a larger context that can help identify and overcome the barriers to participation. Findings support multiple pathways in which OT can contribute to cooking initiatives for health promotion and potentially expand OT practice in population health.

Engaging young children in food skills such as food planning and preparation early in life may be an important predictor of later child cooking skills. The aim of this study was to examine whether early life involvement in food skills (mean age at baseline = 3.6 years) is prospectively associated with cooking skills among a sample of 60 children (mean age at follow-up = 10.0 years; 83% White) from the Guelph Family Health Study, an ongoing cohort study examining the effect of a home-based obesity prevention intervention. Early life involvement in food skills, i.e., child involvement in grocery shopping and meal preparation, was reported by parents at baseline. Children self-reported their cooking skills at follow-up. After adjusting for child age, child sex, parent age, household income, and intervention status, early life involvement in food skills was significantly associated with later child cooking skills (β = 0.24, 95% CI (0.02–0.45), p = 0.03). Future studies with larger and more socioeconomically, geographically, and racially diverse samples are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food literacy has emerged as a key individual trait to promote the transformation of food systems toward healthy and sustainable diets. Childhood and adolescence are key periods for establishing the foundations of eating habits. Different food literacy competencies are acquired as children develop different cognitive abilities, skills, and experiences, contributing to the development of critical tools that allow them to navigate a complex food system. Thus, the design and implementation of programs to support the development of food literacy from early childhood can contribute to healthier and more sustainable eating habits. In this context, the aim of the present narrative review is to provide an in-depth description of how different food literacy competencies are developed in childhood and adolescence, integrating the extensive body of evidence on cognitive, social, and food-related development. Implications for the development of multisectoral strategies to target the multidimensional nature of food literacy and promote the development of the 3 types of competencies (relational, functional, and critical) are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Food and cooking skills (FCSks) are defined as a complex, interrelated, and person-centred set of skills, necessary to provide and prepare safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable meals for all members of the household. Recent studies have associated higher FCSk with healthier eating habits and better health. This study aimed to validate a Portuguese version of a tool to assess and describe FCSk in young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study used an online anonymous questionnaire that was disseminated to students from three Portuguese Higher Education Institutes. The questionnaire validation included Cronbach alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Mann-Whitney test was used for evaluating sample differences and Pearson correlation for association among variables. Results: Internal consistency reliability was 0.89 for cooking skills (CSks) and 0.87 for food skills (FSks). A moderate positive correlation was found between CSks and FSks confidence (r = 0.658, p < 0.01). CFA presented a good adjustment model for most of the fit indices, indicating the adequacy of the questionnaire. The CSks score was 74.1 ± 21.2 (moderate) and the food Skills was 94.2 ± 20.8 (high). Cook pulses, steaming food, and planning meals ahead scored the lowest value, while boiling or simmering food, chopping, peeling vegetables, and reading the best-before date scored the highest value. No difference was found among sex (pCSk = 0.576; pFSk = 0.158), age (pCSk = 0.566; pFSk = 0.130), body mass index classes (pCSk = 0.903; pFSk = 0.320), or course (pCSk = 0.169; pFSk = 0.126). The greatest interest in gastronomy and frequency of meal preparation is associated with higher FCSk (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This research validated a Portuguese version of a tool to assess FCSk among young adults. Internal consistency reliability was adequate. Confirmatory factor analysis returned good psychometric properties for the questionnaire. Authors identified lower FCSk competencies in cooking pulses and vegetables, which are healthy and sustainable foods. This may compromise the adoption of healthy eating behaviours, so promoting FCSk in young adults may pose a strategy for nutrition and public health in reducing diet-related diseases. This tool may be used to identify opportunities for intervention in public health nutrition.

Despite the surge in studies on fussy eating in recent years, anxiety as an associated factor is generally not considered, even though children with fussy eating and those with neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have higher levels of anxiety than typically developing children. The current study investigated changes in anxiety scores during a Taste Education intervention, a seven-week school-based intervention for 71 children with fussy eating. Comparisons were made based on neurodevelopmental status (between children with (n = 30) and without (n = 41) neurodevelopmental disorders). Participants were paired based on age, sex, and neurodevelopmental disorder. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) was administered at delayed intervention (for those waiting 7 weeks before starting the intervention), pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at six-month follow-up. Results did not indicate elevated anxiety based on mean MASC T-scores. MASC Total T-scores ranged from slightly elevated to average, decreasing significantly between pre-intervention and post-intervention, plateauing at six-month follow-up. Significant reductions between measurement points were seen for the physical symptoms, social anxiety, and separation anxiety subscales, but not for harm avoidance. Repeated measures analysis of variance with neurodevelopmental disorders as between-subjects factors did not reveal a significant interaction effect between neurodevelopmental disorders and changes in MASC Total score or subscales. The results indicated that our food-based intervention did not elevate MASC scores in fussy eating children, with or without neurodevelopmental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cooking skills (CS) have the potential to improve self-care behaviours and healthy development among adolescents. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected lifestyles worldwide, and the present study aims to investigate the level of CS after the pandemic, as well as its associations with nutrition knowledge and eating behaviours among a cohort of Italian adolescents. Methods: We submitted an online survey about lifestyle changes to students aged 13–21 years during the pandemic. Based on overall culinary abilities, we divided respondents into high, medium and low CS. Worsening or improvement in diet quality was detected by assigning an eating habit index (EHI; 0–54). Results: Out of the 1686 questionnaires collected, 21.5%, 63.6% and 14.9% reported high, medium and low CS, respectively. The EHI scores were statistically higher among students who were able to cook more than 20 recipes compared to those reporting no cooking abilities (30.2 ± 5.9 vs. 26.6 ± 5.7; p = 0.0001). High CS significantly correlated with better EHI (OR 1.44; p = 0.009), lower consumption of ultra-processed food (OR 1.80; p < 0.0001) and better nutrition knowledge (OR 1.42; p = 0.007). Conclusions: Adolescents with good CS showed better nutrition knowledge and healthier eating habits, including lower consumption of ultra-processed foods. Projects aimed to improve CS in adolescents can therefore promote healthier development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined predictors of food skills in Canadian gym members. A random sample of gym members were invited to complete a validated Food Skills Questionnaire with supplementary questions. All questions/variables significantly associated (p < 0.05) and fair-to-moderately correlated (r ≥ 0.40) with Total Food Skills (TFSs) were analyzed by multiple regression. The respondents' (n = 576) mean ± SD age was 41.3 ± 14.8 years, with 67.3% females and 13.2% students. The mean TFSs score was 77.1 ± 11.9 (maximum 100). Females reported higher TFSs than males; however, this did not remain significant when nutrition-related beliefs were considered. Increasing age, taking a nutrition/cooking course, teen meal preparation, primary cook, time preparing weekend meals, believing that preparing healthy food is important, and self-reported nutritional quality of diet and nutrition knowledge were positively associated with TFSs (p < 0.05). Purchasing food/beverages from convenience stores, buying pre-prepared dinners, and being a student were negatively associated with TFSs (p < 0.05). The strongest predictors of TFSs were self-reported nutrition knowledge and nutritional quality of diet. The adjusted R2 increased by 0.30 when food-related experiences/behaviours and nutrition-related beliefs were included in the final model, which accounted for 50% of the variance in TFSs. Food experiences/behaviours and nutrition beliefs, which are associated with food skills, are potential intermediary targets for programs and/or research to improve food skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food system plays a crucial role in the relationship between environmental, population and individual health. While leading healthcare and environmental organizations call for urgent action to address climate–planetary–human health crises, it is often challenging for healthcare organizations to respond at a systems level to these concerns. Additionally, there is little consensus and limited research exploring how future health professionals should be trained in order to work at both the individual and systems level to address or prevent the negative health impacts related to the current food system. The intervention of a 6-week, hands-on cooking and nutrition course for graduate health professional students which examines these intersections and equips students with clinically applicable skills was examined using matched pre- and post-course surveys and thematic analysis of reflective assignments. Results indicate improved knowledge and confidence in areas including understanding the food system, guiding patients through dietary change, working interprofessionally, and applying basic nutrition concepts to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutritional support often focuses on cooking and food skills such as food selection, recipe planning and meal preparation. Individuals with greater cooking and food skills confidence have previously displayed higher diet quality scores and lower intakes of overall calories, saturated fat and sugar. Despite this, the cooking and food skills of team sport athletes have yet to be investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between cooking and food skills confidence and athletes' demographic characteristics. A validated measure for the assessment of cooking and food skills confidence was distributed via an online survey. Participants were required to rate their confidence on a Likert scale (1 "very poor" – 7 "very good") for 14 items related to cooking skills and 19 items for food skills. Food engagement, general health interest and self‐reported fruit and vegetable consumption as a measure of diet quality were also measured. The survey was completed by 266 team sport athletes (male: 150, female: 116, age: 24.8 ± 6.1 years). Group differences were explored using t‐tests and ANOVA and associations were evaluated using Spearman's correlation and hierarchical multiple regressions. Athletes' total cooking and food skills confidence was 62.7 ± 17.4 (64.0 ± 17.8%) and 83.8 ± 20.1 (63.0 ± 15.1%), respectively. Females reported greater confidence in both cooking (+20.3%, p < 0.01) and food skills (+9.2%, p < 0.01). Hierarchical multiple regressions explained 48.8% of the variance in cooking skills confidence and 44% of the variance in food skills confidence with gender, previous culinary training, cooking learning stage, general health interest and food engagement all remaining significant in the cooking skills confidence model and cooking frequency, previous culinary training, general health interest and food engagement remaining significant in the food skills confidence model. Male team sport athletes may benefit the most from educational interventions designed to increase cooking and food skills confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Food and cooking skills (FCSks) are defined as a complex, interrelated, and person-centred set of skills, necessary to provide and prepare safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable meals for all members of the household. Recent studies have associated higher FCSk with healthier eating habits and better health. This study aimed to validate a Portuguese version of a tool to assess and describe FCSk in young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study used an online anonymous questionnaire that was disseminated to students from three Portuguese Higher Education Institutes. The questionnaire validation included Cronbach alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Mann-Whitney test was used for evaluating sample differences and Pearson correlation for association among variables. Results: Internal consistency reliability was 0.89 for cooking skills (CSks) and 0.87 for food skills (FSks). A moderate positive correlation was found between CSks and FSks confidence (r = 0.658, p < 0.01). CFA presented a good adjustment model for most of the fit indices, indicating the adequacy of the questionnaire. The CSks score was 74.1 ± 21.2 (moderate) and the food Skills was 94.2 ± 20.8 (high). Cook pulses, steaming food, and planning meals ahead scored the lowest value, while boiling or simmering food, chopping, peeling vegetables, and reading the best-before date scored the highest value. No difference was found among sex (pCSk = 0.576; pFSk = 0.158), age (pCSk = 0.566; pFSk = 0.130), body mass index classes (pCSk = 0.903; pFSk = 0.320), or course (pCSk = 0.169; pFSk = 0.126). The greatest interest in gastronomy and frequency of meal preparation is associated with higher FCSk (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This research validated a Portuguese version of a tool to assess FCSk among young adults. Internal consistency reliability was adequate. Confirmatory factor analysis returned good psychometric properties for the questionnaire. Authors identified lower FCSk competencies in cooking pulses and vegetables, which are healthy and sustainable foods. This may compromise the adoption of healthy eating behaviours, so promoting FCSk in young adults may pose a strategy for nutrition and public health in reducing diet-related diseases. This tool may be used to identify opportunities for intervention in public health nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionYoung people’s transition into adulthood is an opportunity in the life course to establish adequate eating behaviors, hence exploring food literacy competencies in this period of life is especially important. Food literacy has recently gained increased attention in adults, adolescents, and younger children, but less is published about youth. This paper aims to summarize what tools have been used to measure food literacy and the sub-competence nutrition literacy in youth aged 16–24 years in the previous 5 years.MethodsA mini-literature review was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE via Ovid, in September 2022. Study eligible criteria; had to be an original article, using a tool to quantitatively assess food literacy and/or nutrition literacy, including participants between 16–24 years, full text available in English, published between 2017–2022.ResultsA total of 958 articles were identified, of which 385 duplicates were removed. Thus, 573 articles were screened by title/abstract. Finally, nine articles were eligible for data extraction of which four proposed a tool to measure food literacy and five proposed a tool to measure nutrition literacy.Discussion and conclusionAlthough four studies claimed to measure food literacy, none of these used tools comprehensive enough to measure all aspects of food literacy, and only one was validated in young people. This study shows that only few tools exist for the measurement of food literacy in youth, and those available are scant. Further work is needed to develop a food literacy tool for youth.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a practical food skills and nutrition education workshop and investigate the attitudes towards, and knowledge of, nutrition among young amateur Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) players. Design and method: A quantitative study using a pre-/post-intervention study design assessed nutritional knowledge, food preparation skills, cooking skills confidence, attitudes towards nutrition, and future diet and food practices among GAA players (n = 336) across the Island of Ireland who took part in a practical food skills and nutrition education workshop. Findings: The workshop was effective in improving culinary knowledge, skills and confidence. Post-session, in comparison with men, women were 'definitely' more confident in preparing the dish they cooked during the session (p ⩽.05) and in using a cooker to prepare a meal or snack (p ⩽.05). While nutrition knowledge improved for many participants, women knew 'a lot' more about the quantity of each type of food they needed to consume (p =.013) and portion sizes (p =.003). Most participants indicated that in the future, they were likely to try out other recipes (94%, n = 310), more likely to prepare a meal themselves (93%, n = 307) and make healthier food choices (92%, n = 304). Originality: Results indicate the benefits of an integrated nutrition education and food skills workshop in improving players' knowledge of nutrition and increasing confidence in relation to food preparation and cooking. As gender differences were found across a range of key knowledge and confidence outcomes, future food and nutrition education programmes may need to be tailored to take account of this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review explored the relationship between knowledge among children and adolescents and their dietary behaviour. Potentially eligible original research articles were identified through a systematic search in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and WHO Virtual Health Library from 2000 to 2018. From the initial search, a total of 7,258 research articles were obtained. Duplicate studies were identified and removed. Observational studies on children and adolescents (5–19 years) of any gender, ethnicity and country were included in which the outcome measured was either a scoring of/ association between nutrition knowledge and practices. After screening using the inclusion criteria, 13 studies were selected for this paper. Four studies reported non-significant association between overall nutrition knowledge and practices. Only two studies found a significant association, out of which one showed a weak association highlighting that nutrition knowledge is not sufficient to result in healthy eating. Other factors which showed significant but weak associations with knowledge/practices included age, gender, nutritional status and lifestyle, peer influence, parents'/guardians' knowledge, education and occupation level. The causal relationship couldn't be examined in the present review due to the cross-sectional nature of the studies. Besides imparting knowledge through nutrition education interventions, there is a need for holistic behaviour change strategies including supporting food skills like menu planning, food shopping and cooking to encourage healthy eating habits among children. These interventions should target children from an early age, involving family/parents, teachers and peers to facilitate improvement in the food environment for sustainable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Nutrition and food literacy encompasses knowledge, skills and confidence to prepare healthy meals. This project aimed to assess and compare the proportion of young Canadian adults (18–29 years old) living with type 1 diabetes and without diabetes (controls) who demonstrated adequate nutritional health literacy. Methods: This cross‐sectional study involved participants completing an online survey that included questions on socio‐economic status, nutrition knowledge, confidence and skills in meal preparation and the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ). Proportion of participants with adequate SFLQ score (i.e. ≥34/52) was compared between the groups (two‐sample t‐test). Results: Among the 236 people living with type 1 diabetes and 191 controls (81.5% women), mean age was 24 ± 3 years for people living with type 1 diabetes and 22 ± 3 years for controls (p < 0.001). More people living with type 1 diabetes reported adequate SFLQ score (people living with type 1 diabetes 88.0% vs. Controls 68.0%; p < 0.001). Similarly, majority of people living with type 1 diabetes prepared their own meals compared to the controls (74.5% vs. 47.6%; p < 0.001). Enhanced SFLQ score was associated with higher cooking skills (p = 0.02) and confidence (p < 0.01) in preparing healthy meals. Conclusions: Living with type 1 diabetes was associated with greater SFLQ scores among young Canadian adults. Having the independence, the confidence and skills in meal preparation were contributing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of validated assessment instruments that capture all facets of cooking skills (CS) and food skills (FS). The goal of this study was to validate the German version of a questionnaire to assess a broad range of CS and FS and to examine its relationship with nutrition knowledge, attitude toward a healthy diet, and food intake. The German version was developed using forward–backward translation. An online survey was completed by students (n = 141), participants from the general Swiss population (n = 50), and nutrition experts (n = 18), including the CS and FS items along with nutrition knowledge, food frequency items, attitude toward a healthy diet and sociodemographic variables. The reliability and construct validity were examined. Results: For all of the samples, Cronbach's alpha was between 0.85 and 0.88 for CS items and between 0.84 and 0.86 for FS items. The scales were strongly correlated (r = 0.60–0.77, p < 0.01). Nutrition experts showed higher confidence in their CS and FS than students and the participants of the general Swiss population (p < 0.001). CS and FS correlated weakly to moderately with practical nutrition knowledge, attitude toward a healthy diet, and the diet quality index. The German version is an efficient, valid, and highly reliable instrument that seems sensitive to changes. FS, compared to CS, might be more important for a healthy diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents' intake of vegetables and fruits is generally low, and many demonstrate unhealthy eating behaviors. Food literacy may be key to improving adolescents' nutrition. However, the relationship between food literacy, fruit and vegetable intake, and other healthy eating behaviors remains unclear, as well as how these relationships may differ among boys and girls. This study assessed the relationship between food literacy (including food skills and cooking skills), vegetable and fruit consumption, and other eating behaviors of adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 1,054 students, including 467 boys and 570 girls from five francophone high schools in New Brunswick, Canada. Quantitative data on students' food and cooking skills, vegetable and fruit consumption, and other eating behaviors were collected with a self-reported questionnaire. Multilevel regressions were used to assess the relationship between food literacy, students' consumption of vegetables and fruits, and other eating behaviors. Better cooking skills were associated with healthier eating behaviors and greater vegetable and fruit consumption for boys and girls. Better food skills were also associated with healthier eating behaviors and greater vegetable and fruit consumption among both genders. These findings highlight the importance of improving food literacy among adolescents. Public health interventions should focus on increasing cooking and food skills to improve adolescents' nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culinary education programs are generally designed to improve participants' food and cooking skills, with or without consideration to influencing diet quality or health. No published methods exist to guide food and cooking skills' content priorities within culinary education programs that target improved diet quality and health. To address this gap, an international team of cooking and nutrition education experts developed the Cooking Education (Cook-EdTM) matrix. International food-based dietary guidelines were reviewed to determine common food groups. A six-section matrix was drafted including skill focus points for: (1) Kitchen safety, (2) Food safety, (3) General food skills, (4) Food group specific food skills, (5) General cooking skills, (6) Food group specific cooking skills. A modified e-Delphi method with three consultation rounds was used to reach consensus on the Cook-EdTM matrix structure, skill focus points included, and their order. The final Cook-EdTM matrix includes 117 skill focus points. The matrix guides program providers in selecting the most suitable skills to consider for their programs to improve dietary and health outcomes, while considering available resources, participant needs, and sustainable nutrition principles. Users can adapt the Cook-EdTM matrix to regional food-based dietary guidelines and food cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Nutrition education programs in schools have been effective in improving children’s knowledge and behaviours related to food and nutrition. However, teachers find it challenging to implement such programs due to overcrowded curricula. Integrating nutrition with core subjects such as mathematics could potentially address time constraints and improve the learning of both. The primary aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the impact of a cross-curricular nutrition and mathematics program on primary school students’ portion size estimation skills. Secondary aims include impact on their nutrition knowledge, attitudes towards mathematics and evaluating the quality of the lessons. Methods Twelve Year 3–4 classes from Catholic schools in New South Wales, Australia will be randomised to intervention (n = 6) or control (n = 6) groups. Teachers in the intervention group will receive a professional development workshop and resources to teach 4–5 lessons on portion size and measurements across 1–4 weeks. Outcome measures include portion size estimation skills, nutrition knowledge and attitudes towards mathematics, with data collected during three school visits (pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 4 weeks post-intervention). Additionally, teaching quality will be assessed in both intervention and control groups and process evaluation undertaken using teacher interviews and student focus groups. Discussion This RCT uses an innovative approach to improve both nutrition and mathematics related learning outcomes among primary school children. It has the potential to impact teaching practices regarding integration of nutrition into curricula and enhance the implementation of nutrition education interventions. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12619001071112 31/07/2019.

Issue addressed: Food literacy has been recognised as a collection of interrelated food skills and knowledge to support healthy dietary outcomes. In the home environment, the dietary gatekeeper is the individual most responsible for food preparation, and therefore, has a significant influence on the family diet. This study explored how the dietary gatekeeper's food literacy skills are used to manage dietary barriers to facilitate healthy eating in the home environment. Methods: Qualitative data were collected from a sample of household dietary gatekeepers with children (n = 17). Participants were also instructed to take photographs of family meals prior to the interview and these were used as interview prompts to gain deeper insights into gatekeeper behaviour. Results: Participants reported the two most significant barriers to healthy eating in households were time pressure and fussy eating. Four strategies were identified that used gatekeepers' food literacy to manage these barriers: breaking up meal tasks; customising meals for family tastes; camouflaging healthy ingredients; and facilitating food choice autonomy. These strategies incorporated interrelated food literacy skills related to the planning, preparation, selection and eating domains. Conclusion: The current findings highlight the dietary gatekeeper's food literacy as an interrelated concept and show how it is operationalised to successfully manage barriers to healthy eating experienced in the home environment. So what?: Future health promotion campaigns must offer tailored communications and interventions that provide resources and support to dietary gatekeepers to foster food literacy and counteract the influence of barriers to healthy eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students are a unique population subgroup, who experience a life transition into adulthood, often marked by the establishment of unhealthy eating behaviours(1) which are associated with chronic disease risk factors, poor mental health and lower academic achievement(2). Data regarding the food skills/behaviours of university students is limited, but low cooking self- efficacy and food skills are potential barriers to healthy meal preparation(1). Nourished@Deakin is an online cooking program, co-designed by Deakin University students, that aims to inspire students to cook and eat healthier. It commenced in November 2021 and includes a series of blogs, recipes, and cooking videos, available to all Deakin students via a Deakin University blog site. To determine if accessing Nourished@Deakin improves food skill confidence, food intake, and nutrition knowledge, participants completed a short online survey before accessing Nourished@Deakin materials and then again four weeks after their first engagement. The survey included 31 questions regarding confidence related to a variety of food skills (eg. recipe following, reading food labels, meal planning); 2 questions regarding fruit/vegetable intake; 11 knowledge questions regarding the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs); and 16 demographic questions. Pre/post surveys were compared using paired t tests (knowledge scores, fruit/veg serves) or McNemar extact test (proportions). A total of 108 students completed the pre-survey and 41 (mean (SD) age 27.0 (8.4) years; 63% female) also completed the post-survey. Of the 41 participants who completed both surveys, 42% were studying within the Faculty of Health and 16 (39%) were living in the family home with parents. Most (68%) were studying full time and 59% were employed part-time/casually. Three-quarters were domestic students, and 59% were undergraduate students. Following completion of Nourished@Deakin , there was a significant increase in the proportion of participants feeling confident in two of the 31 food skills (namely 'meal planning': 44% pre vs 63% post, P<0.05; and 'growing fruit and/or vegetables at home': 22% pre vs 44% post, P<0.05). Fruit intake increased from 1.6 serves/day pre-program to 1.9 serves/day post-program (P<0.05), but vegetable intake remained stable (2.5 serves/day pre and 2.6 serves/day post, P = 0.287). Before participating in Nourished@Deakin , 56% of participants correctly reported the recommended daily serves of fruit and 66% correctly reported it for vegetables. The mean ADG knowledge score was 8.2/9 and 49% of participants got all nine questions correct. There were no significant changes in any of the knowledge markers post-program. Over a relatively short period, Nourished@Deakin produced modest improvements in the self-reported confidence in some food skills and self-reported fruit intake. A revised program (incorporating a greater variety of recipes, additional blogs, and new videos) may encourage greater engagement and result in increased confidence and knowledge in other targeted areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Despite inconclusive evidence, the idea that a lack of home food preparation and skills is a limiting factor in achieving a healthy diet is widespread. Cooking skills interventions proliferate, and several countries now mention cooking in their dietary guidelines. The aim of this study was to determine whether substantial consumption of home-prepared food is necessary for high dietary quality by exploring whether individuals can eat healthily while eating little home-prepared food. The diets of these individuals were characterised, and socio-demographic characteristics and prevalence of obesity were also explored. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of UK dietary survey data with objectively measured height and weight and a 4-day food diary for each participant was conducted. A subsample (N = 1063, aged ≥19 years) with a high dietary quality (determined using a score derived from the Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension (DASH) diet) was analysed. Within this, participants were grouped as either high or low home preparation based on the proportion of energy derived from home-prepared food. Regression models were used to determine whether and how those in the high and low home preparation groups differed in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, DASH score, energy intake, prevalence of obesity, and dietary composition. Results The low home preparation group included 442 participants, while 621 participants were in the high home preparation group. The low home preparation group were more likely to be older and white, and less likely to have a degree level education. After adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics, there were no differences in DASH score, energy intake or obesity prevalence between the groups. After adjustment, the low home preparation group consumed more fruit (30.8 additional g/day, 95% CI 5.5–56.1), more low-fat dairy foods (24.6 additional g/day, 95% CI 1.7–47.5) and less red meat (10.4 fewer g/day, 95% CI 4.3–16.6), but also more sugar (11.6 additional g/day, 95% CI 7.5–15.6) and sodium (107.8 additional mg/day, 95% CI 13.8–201.8). Conclusion Home food preparation should not be presented as a prerequisite to a high quality diet. The public health community should recognise the existence of a set of food practices which allows individuals to achieve a healthy diet with little contribution from home-prepared food, and make space for it in the design of their policies and interventions.

Objective: To assess associations between household food security status and indicators of food skills, health literacy and home meal preparation, among young Canadian adults.Design: Cross-sectional data were analysed using logistic regression and general linear models to assess associations between food security status and food skills, health literacy and the proportion of meals prepared at home, by gender.Setting: Participants recruited from five Canadian cities (Vancouver (BC), Edmonton (AB), Toronto (ON), Montreal (QB) and Halifax (NS)) completed an online survey.Participants: 1389 men and 1340 women aged 16-30 years.Results: Self-reported food skills were not associated with food security status (P > 0·05) among men or women. Compared to those with high health literacy (based on interpretation of a nutrition label), higher odds of food insecurity were observed among men (adjusted OR (AOR): 2·58, 95 % CI 1·74, 3·82 and 1·56, 95 % CI 1·07, 2·28) and women (AOR: 2·34, 95 % CI 1·48, 3·70 and 1·92, 95 % CI 1·34, 2·74) with lower health literacy. Women in food-insecure households reported preparing a lower proportion of breakfasts (β = -0·051, 95 % CI -0·085, -0·017), lunches (β = -0·062, 95 % CI -0·098, -0·026) and total meals at home (β = -0·041, 95 % CI -0·065, -0·016). Men and women identifying as Black or Indigenous, reporting financial difficulty and with lower levels of education had heightened odds of experiencing food insecurity.Conclusions: Findings are consistent with other studies underscoring the financial precarity, rather than lack of food skills, associated with food insecurity. This precarity may reduce opportunities to apply health literacy and undertake meal preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition education has traditionally focused primarily on food and nutrition knowledge, motivations, and skills that facilitate behavior change. This essay argues that while this content remains an essential foundation for nutrition education, is it no longer sufficient. In the Anthropocene—the current distinct geological period during which human activity is the dominant influence on climate and the environment—the goal of nutrition framework is twofold: public health and planetary health. This approach requires that competencies in food systems, agriculture, and policy be included in the education and training of food and nutrition education practitioners and researchers. Academics need to ensure that such competencies are addressed in course content. Advocates need to be vigilant to ensure that sustainability, food systems, and community aspects related to nutrition and diet are incorporated into policy. The relevance of nutrition education will depend upon the degree to which this shift is successful.

To investigate the impact of food skills on food security and dietary diversity among asylum seekers living in Norwegian reception centers. Cross-sectional study. Eight asylum reception centers. A total of 205 asylum seekers (131 men and 74 women) recruited through convenience sampling. Food skills were measured using questions from the Canadian Rapid Response on Food Skills and divided into cooking skills and shopping skills. Food security was measured with the 10-item version of the Radimer/Cornell Scale. The dietary diversity score was based on a 24-h recall. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Cooking skills were associated with adequate dietary diversity (adjusted odds ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–4.31), but not with adult food insecurity (adjusted odds ratio. 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.26–1.53). Shopping skills were not associated with either measure of dietary diversity or adult food insecurity. Women had higher cooking skills than men, but there were no gender differences in shopping skills. Food skills had a limited association with food security and dietary diversity. Further research is needed to identify food skills beneficial for asylum seekers and to address the multiple causes of food insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the relationship between household food insecurity (FI) and children's involvement in family meal choices and food preparation, used as proxies for children's food skills, and to explore gender differences within these associations.Design: Households were classified as food-secure or food-insecure using the six-item, short-form Household Food Security Survey Module. Children's involvement in family meal choices and food preparation were treated as proxies for children's food skills. Mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression models were used.Setting: Public schools in Nova Scotia, Canada.Participants: 5244 children in the fifth grade (10-11 years old) participating in the Children's Lifestyle and School Performance Study (CLASS).Results: Most children reported being involved in family meal choices or food preparation at least weekly (74 and 68 %). The likelihood of helping choose family meals once a week was 33 % lower among girls from food-insecure households compared to girls from food-secure households. No differences in boys' involvement in family meal choices were observed according to household FI status. Boys from food-insecure households were 65 % more likely than boys from food-secure households to assist with food preparation/cooking four times per week. No differences in girls' involvement in food preparation were observed according to household FI status.Conclusions: Findings support that household FI is not due to a lack of food skills but most likely due to inadequate access to resources. This supports the call for upstream policies targeting the structural issues underpinning household FI such as low income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contributing to more sustainable diets is a major challenge for contemporary environmental education. It implies an increase in the share of plant-based foods and of home-cooked meals. Awareness of this is widespread but taking concrete action is not easy. What competences does it call for? To identify them, we proposed an 8-month training course to groups of young adults in France. Their consumption of vegetables and the competences they mobilized were collected at the end of the training and 8 months later. The competences used by the participants with the lowest consumption of vegetables included controlling their food budget, collecting information about processed foods and planning what they would like to eat. The competences used by the participants with the highest consumption included planning meal preparation, being flexible, choosing quality products and mastering the preparation of fresh vegetables. These results are of interest for designing education programmes for sustainable diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrition education has traditionally focused primarily on food and nutrition knowledge, motivations, and skills that facilitate behavior change. This essay argues that while this content remains an essential foundation for nutrition education, is it no longer sufficient. In the Anthropocene--the current distinct geological period during which human activity is the dominant influence on climate and the environment--the goal of nutrition framework is twofold: public health and planetary health. This approach requires that competencies in food systems, agriculture, and policy be included in the education and training of food and nutrition education practitioners and researchers. Academics need to ensure that such competencies are addressed in course content. Advocates need to be vigilant to ensure that sustainability, food systems, and community aspects related to nutrition and diet are incorporated into policy. The relevance of nutrition education will depend upon the degree to which this shift is successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy eating is challenging within a food environment that constantly exposes the public to unhealthy processed foods that are appealing and convenient. Food environments are becoming more complex with technological advances that further increase the availability and marketing of processed foods. At the same time, widespread food and nutrition misinformation and "diet culture" are contributing to negative associations with food, negatively impacting well-being. Food literacy presents an opportunity to negate some of these influences, by assisting individuals in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and self-efficacy needed to make healthy dietary decisions within different contexts. Further work is required to translate a more holistic concept of food literacy into interventions rather than single aspects of it such as nutrition education, which tends to be focused on dietary standards, nutrients, and food groups. This manuscript summarizes a colloquium given at the International Food Studies Conference in 2018, where the authors presented a narrative review of the state of food literacy in Canada and chronicled four examples of initiatives that have been undertaken in various settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: While diet quality has declined globally, the promotion of cooking skills as a potential target to counter the decline has been proposed. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between food and cooking skills and diet quality in Australian adults. Methods: A sample of 910 Australian adults completed an online cross‐sectional survey to evaluate their level of cooking and food skills confidence, food related psychological variables, diet quality using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS) and sociodemographic characteristics. Analysis of variance with post hoc analysis, Pearson's correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted using IBM SPSS V25, with statistical significance set at P <.05. Results: Older respondents and females reported higher levels of both cooking and food skills confidence compared to younger and male participants, all P <.001. Cooking and food skills confidence scores were highly correlated (r =.70, P <.001), but weakly correlated with ARFS (r =.22, P <.001; r =.31, P <.001, respectively). Participants with higher diet quality scores had greater cooking and food skills confidence and they consumed less takeaway food (P <.001 and P =.006, respectively). Sixteen percent of the variance in ARFS was accounted for, with age, sex, food creativity and food skills confidence contributing the most variability. Conclusions: Strategies to improve food skills confidence could potentially enhance diet quality and variety to a greater degree than focusing on cooking skills alone. However, development of both skills sets should be encouraged within education programs and targeted to differing aspects of diet quality. Tailoring interventions to specific population groups with low confidence in their skills, including younger adults and males, may facilitate individuals in making healthy food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background With the increase use of convenience food and eating outside the home environment being linked to the obesity epidemic, the need to assess and monitor individuals cooking and food skills is key to help intervene where necessary to promote the usage of these skills. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and validate a measure for cooking skills and one for food skills, that are clearly described, relatable, user-friendly, suitable for different types of studies, and applicable across all sociodemographic levels. Methods Two measures were developed in light of the literature and expert opinion and piloted for clarity and ease of use. Following this, four studies were undertaken across different cohorts (including a sample of students, both ‘Food preparation novices’ and ‘Experienced food preparers’, and a nationally representative sample) to assess temporal stability, psychometrics, internal consistency reliability and construct validity of both measures. Analysis included T-tests, Pearson’s correlations, factor analysis, and Cronbach’s alphas, with a significance level of 0.05. Results Both measures were found to have a significant level of temporal stability (P

Purpose: Fish and seafood consumption by North American children is low. This is concerning, given the critical role of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid), found in fish and seafood, in early development. This study aimed to determine whether parental factors related to fish and seafood consumption are associated with frequency of fish and seafood consumption in Canadian children. Methods: A subgroup of parents (n = 28) participating in the Guelph Family Health Study Pilot reported their perceptions and history of fish and seafood consumption, confidence in preparing fish and seafood dishes, and the frequency of intake for their children (n = 40). Results: This study found that 20% of children consumed one serving of saltwater fish, freshwater fish, or shellfish weekly and 63% consumed at least one type of fish or seafood monthly. Parental cooking confidence preparing fish and seafood was positively associated with at least monthly fish and seafood intake in children. Conclusions: These findings suggest that some children may have low intakes of fish and seafood due to a lack of parental cooking confidence when preparing fish and seafood dishes. Therefore, future research and interventions focused on addressing this barrier may aid in improving fish and seafood intake.

Background: Occupational therapy (OT) has historically used cooking as an intervention and assessment approach across settings. Current practices in OT and the emergence of the multidisciplinary field of culinary medicine highlight the relationship between cooking and health., Aims/objectives: To map the current literature on OT and cooking and to identify key factors that may facilitate collaboration within culinary medicine., Materials and Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology to identify primary contexts and clinical settings. Publications were analysed using framework thematic analysis to identify OT themes and roles., Results: A total of 56 studies met the criteria for inclusion. The majority of studies ( n  = 29, 53%) represented home/community settings and brain injury was the largest clinical group ( n  = 15, 27%). Primary themes related to person ( n  = 47, 43%), occupation ( n  = 30 (28%), environment ( n  = 19, 17%), and psychosocial wellbeing ( n  = 13, 12%). The primary OT role identified was that of interventionist ( n  = 48, 86%)., Conclusions/significance: OT's holistic practice places cooking within a larger context that can help identify and overcome the barriers to participation. Findings support multiple pathways in which OT can contribute to cooking initiatives for health promotion and potentially expand OT practice in population health.

Develop, validate, and assess reliability of a food skills questionnaire. Phase 1: Questionnaire development categorized questions into domains (Food Selection and Planning, Food Preparation, and Food Safety and Storage). Phase 2: Content validity included expert panel quantitative and qualitative feedback. Phase 3: Face validity involved pilot testing. Phase 4: Reliability assessed test-retest and inter-item reliability. Phase 1: The authors developed a draft questionnaire in London, Ontario, Canada. Phase 2: Dietitians, home economists, academics, and chefs completed content validity (n = 17; 57% response rate). Phase 3: A convenience sample of students completed face validity (n = 20; 17% response rate). Phase 4: Randomly selected students completed test-retest reliability (time 1: n = 189, time 2: n = 165; 9% response rate). Lawshe content validity ratio, Lawshe content validity index, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and Cronbach α. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using ICC, and inter-item reliability by Cronbach α coefficient. In phase 2, Lawshe content validity index was 0.80 (90% expert panel consensus). In phase 3, 85% of respondents identified the main construct. In phase 4, Cronbach α coefficients were.67–.88 for domains and.90 for the questionnaire overall, and ICC scores ranged from 0.67–0.92 for questions, 0.86–0.93 for domains, and 0.92 for the questionnaire overall. This questionnaire demonstrated strong content validity, face validity, test-retest reliability, and good inter-item reliability. It is appropriate for evaluating food skills in a population with basic to intermediate skills (eg, young adults). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this qualitative, grounded theory study was to explore the concept of food literacy from the perspective of young Canadian adults who recently transitioned to independent living. Seventeen individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with Canadian university students who recently transitioned to independent living. Results suggest that young adults face significant challenges with regard to healthy eating and acquiring and utilizing food literacy. The main reasons for these challenges were due to a lack of food and nutrition education prior to independent living through home and school environments, time-constraints, and complex food relationships. This study will add to the existing body of literature by exploring the food experiences of young adults and the concept of food literacy from their perceptions, thereby strengthening theoretical foundations and developing practical recommendations moving forward.

Objective: An absence of food literacy measurement tools makes it challenging for nutrition practitioners to assess the impact of food literacy on healthy diets and to evaluate the outcomes of food literacy interventions. The objective of the present scoping review was to identify the attributes of food literacy.Design: A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature was conducted and attributes of food literacy identified. Subjects included in the search were high-risk groups. Eligible articles were limited to research from Canada, USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.Results: The search identified nineteen peer-reviewed and thirty grey literature sources. Fifteen identified food literacy attributes were organized into five categories. Food and Nutrition Knowledge informs decisions about intake and distinguishing between 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods. Food Skills focuses on techniques of food purchasing, preparation, handling and storage. Self-Efficacy and Confidence represent one's capacity to perform successfully in specific situations. Ecologic refers to beyond self and the interaction of macro- and microsystems with food decisions and behaviours. Food Decisions reflects the application of knowledge, information and skills to make food choices. These interdependent attributes are depicted in a proposed conceptual model.Conclusions: The lack of evaluated tools inhibits the ability to assess and monitor food literacy; tailor, target and evaluate programmes; identify gaps in programming; engage in advocacy; and allocate resources. The present scoping review provides the foundation for the development of a food literacy measurement tool to address these gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the increase use of convenience food and eating outside the home environment being linked to the obesity epidemic, the need to assess and monitor individuals cooking and food skills is key to help intervene where necessary to promote the usage of these skills. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and validate a measure for cooking skills and one for food skills, that are clearly described, relatable, user-friendly, suitable for different types of studies, and applicable across all sociodemographic levels. Methods: Two measures were developed in light of the literature and expert opinion and piloted for clarity and ease of use. Following this, four studies were undertaken across different cohorts (including a sample of students, both 'Food preparation novices' and 'Experienced food preparers', and a nationally representative sample) to assess temporal stability, psychometrics, internal consistency reliability and construct validity of both measures. Analysis included T-tests, Pearson's correlations, factor analysis, and Cronbach's alphas, with a significance level of 0.05. Results: Both measures were found to have a significant level of temporal stability ( P < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed three factors with eigenvalues over 1, with two items in a third factor outside the two suggested measures. The internal consistency reliability for the cooking skills confidence measure ranged from 0.78 to 0.93 across all cohorts. The food skills confidence measure's Cronbach's alpha's ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. The two measures also showed a high discriminate validity as there were significant differences ( P < 0.05 for cooking skills confidence and P < 0.01 for food skills confidence) between Food preparation novices' and 'Experienced food preparers.' Conclusions: The cooking skills confidence measure and the food skills confidence measure have been shown to have a very satisfactory reliability, validity and are consistent over time. Their user-friendly applicability make both measures highly suitable for large scale cross-sectional, longitudinal and intervention studies to assess or monitor cooking and food skills levels and confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Household food gatekeepers have the potential to influence the food attitudes and behaviours of family members, as they are mainly responsible for food-related tasks in the home. The aim of this study was to determine the role of gatekeepers' confidence in food-related skills and nutrition knowledge on food practices in the home.Methods: An online survey was completed by 1059 Australian dietary gatekeepers selected from the Global Market Insite (GMI) research database. Participants responded to questions about food acquisition and preparation behaviours, the home eating environment, perceptions and attitudes towards food, and demographics. Two-step cluster analysis was used to identify groups based on confidence regarding food skills and nutrition knowledge. Chi-square tests and one-way ANOVAs were used to compare the groups on the dependent variables.Results: Three groups were identified: low confidence, moderate confidence and high confidence. Gatekeepers in the highest confidence group were significantly more likely to report lower body mass index (BMI), and indicate higher importance of fresh food products, vegetable prominence in meals, product information use, meal planning, perceived behavioural control and overall diet satisfaction. Gatekeepers in the lowest confidence group were significantly more likely to indicate more perceived barriers to healthy eating, report more time constraints and more impulse purchasing practices, and higher convenience ingredient use. Other smaller associations were also found.Conclusion: Household food gatekeepers with high food skills confidence were more likely to engage in several healthy food practices, while those with low food skills confidence were more likely to engage in unhealthy food practices. Food education strategies aimed at building food-skills and nutrition knowledge will enable current and future gatekeepers to make healthier food decisions for themselves and for their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students experience a life transition that often results in poor dietary behaviors and weight gain. Adequate food skills may improve diet quality and prevent chronic disease. Research is limited, however, on students' food skills and food-related behaviors. The objective of this study was to assess whether self-perceived food skills and related behaviors of students at a large, Canadian university differed based on sex, having taken a Food and Nutrition (FN) course, and living conditions, using a cross-sectional online survey. The response rate was 21.9% (n = 6638). Students (age, M ± SD 19.9 ± 2.1 years) self-reported their abilities for seven distinct food skills. Students rated (out of 100) their ability for some skills significantly higher than others (79.7 ± 20.9 for peeling, chopping, and slicing vs. 56.1 ± 29.1 for weekly meal planning; p < 0.001). Females reported higher total food skill scores than males (487.0 ± 141.1 out of a possible 700 vs. 441.9 ± 151.8, respectively; p < 0.001). Respondents who had taken a FN course reported higher total food skill scores than those who had not (494.9 ± 137.0 vs. 461.9 ± 149.2; p < 0.001). Students who resided away from their parental home for longer than one year reported significantly higher total food skill scores than those living away for one year or less (488.9 ± 134.6 vs. 443.3 ± 153.0, respectively; p < 0.001). Results indicate that students' self-perceived food skills vary by sex, FN education, and living condition. Higher abilities were reported for mechanical food skills; conceptual skills were significantly lower. These results may assist in effectively targeting this population with nutrition education interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine parents' perceptions of cooking skills, food skills, and nutritional status of children ages 3 to 5 years. Methods: Parents of preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years completed two questionnaires, a Nutri-STEP questionnaire, assessing nutritional status, and a cooking exposure questionnaire. This parent recall questionnaire assessed cooking skills and food skills children possessed. Results: Willingness to try a new vegetable, parental confidence of child's cooking skills, total food skills possessed, and the covariates of gender, age, and ethnicity significantly predicted child dietary quality grouping p = 0.04. Conclusions and Implications: Trying new vegetables was a significant predictor of dietary behavior, with children more likely to try new vegetables demonstrating better dietary behavior (odds ratio= .43, p = 0.03). Trends showed that children with more cooking skills had better diets. Empirical data are needed through experimental designs to examine the integration of cooking skills in the home on child dietary behaviors and long-term cooking development.