P23 Examining Characteristics Associated with Cooking Frequency Among College Students

Abstract

Background Cooking has been shown to be associated with improved dietary intake, yet little research exists on cooking frequency among college students. Objective To determine cooking frequency and identify student characteristics associated with cooking frequency among UNC Chapel Hill students. Study Design, Settings, Participants This cross-sectional analysis used data from 4,845 UNC Chapel Hill students who completed an online survey in October and November of 2016. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Cooking frequency was assessed using the question “How often do you cook for yourself or for others?” with the response options being “often,” “sometimes,” or “never.” Self-reported data on a variety of student characteristics was also collected. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the association between cooking frequency and student characteristics. Statistical significance was considered P Results Among students in our sample, 46% often, 40% sometimes, and 14% never cooked. African American students were significantly less likely to often cook compared with non-Hispanic white students. Compared to students with a perceived health rating of excellent, students with a perceived health rating of fair were less likely to often cook and students with a perceived health rating of poor were less likely to often or sometimes cook. Having higher perceived cooking skills, a lower food security status, and a car were associated with an increased adjusted odds of sometimes or often cooking. Students receiving financial aid were significantly more likely to often cook. Students living on-campus and Freshman were significantly less likely to often or sometimes cook. Having a meal plan and experiencing overweight were associated with a significantly lower adjusted odds of cooking often. Conclusion A variety of characteristics were associated with cooking frequency among UNC Chapel Hill students, including perceived cooking skills. Understanding characteristics associated with cooking frequency can help to inform the development of cooking interventions for college students. Funding None.