Characteristics associated with cooking frequency among college students

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine cooking frequency and identify student characteristics associated with cooking frequency among students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This cross-sectional study included data from 4845 students who completed an online survey in the fall of 2016. Cooking frequency was assessed using the question “How often do you cook for yourself or for others?” with the response options being “often,” “sometimes,” and “never.” Students also self-reported information on a variety of student characteristics. Descriptive statistics were calculated and associations between cooking frequency and student characteristics were assessed using Pearson's chi square tests, ANOVA, and multinomial logistic regression. Statistical significance was considered p < 0.05. Among students in the sample, 45.7% reported often cooking, 40.3% reported sometimes cooking, and 14% reported never cooking. Characteristics significantly associated with cooking frequency in the adjusted models were race/ethnicity, year in school, living on vs. off-campus, having a car, receiving financial aid, perceived health rating, weight status, having a meal plan, food security status, and perceived cooking skills. Age, gender, marital status, having dependent children, being an international student, part-time vs. full-time enrollment, and employment status were not significantly associated with cooking frequency in adjusted models. Cooking was common among college students in this sample, although there were differences in characteristics among students who reported different frequencies of cooking.