Good Grubbin': Impact of a TV Cooking Show for College Students Living Off Campus

Abstract

Objective To determine if a series of 4 15-minute, theory-driven (Social Cognitive Theory) cooking programs aimed at college students living off campus improved cooking self-efficacy, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable intake. Design A randomized controlled trial with pre-, post- and follow-up tests. Setting University campus. Participants Students (n = 101) from upper-level nonhealth courses (n = 37 male and n = 94 living off campus). Intervention The intervention group (n = 50) watched 4 weekly episodes of the cooking show, Good Grubbin’. The control group (n = 51) watched 4 weekly episodes on sleep disorders. Main Outcome Measures Demographic information; knowledge, self-efficacy, motivations, barriers of eating fruits and vegetables; self-efficacy, motivations, barriers and behaviors of cooking; fruit and vegetable intake food frequency questionnaire. Analysis Repeated-measure analysis of variance and chi-square analyses were used to compare outcome variables. Results There were significant improvements in knowledge of fruit and vegetable recommendations in the intervention group compared to the control group postintervention and at 4-month follow-up ( P < .05). There were no significant changes in fruit and vegetable motivators, barriers, self-efficacy or intake. Conclusions and Implications A television show on nutrition and cooking may be influential in changing students’ knowledge, but it seems to have little impact on dietary behaviors. With a recent increase in popularity of cooking shows, future research should investigate the impact an extended cooking and nutrition show series might have on young adult viewers.