Perceptions and Practices of Meal Preparation among College Students Participating in Cooking Classes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine meal preparation practices among college students who attended hour‐long, hands‐on, cooking classes that were offered during after school hours. The three cooking classes introduced Mediterranean diet inspired recipes that were fitted to students' time constraints. For recruitment, an IRB approved flyer was distributed through email listservs of various majors (e.g. Nutrition, Physiology, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Public Health, etc.) at the University of Arizona. The participants (n=21, 62% female, age 21.1 ± 2.8 years) answered the short survey of questions about their current meal preparations, and past cooking experiences, as well as the reasons for attending the cooking classes. One‐way ANOVA and Fisher's exact test were used to assess the association of age, between meal preparation practice and cooking experiences. 38% (4 women, 4 men) cook for themselves and eat out sometimes. 29% of the participants (5 women, 1 man) cook meals themselves. 24% (3 women, 2 men) buy a majority of their meals from restaurants. 9% (1 woman, 1 man) eat cooked meals with their families on a daily basis. There was no association between gender, past cooking experience, and current primary meal preparations. (p>0.05) Participants reported interests in the cooking classes because it helps make healthier life practices; cooking is a social event with friends and family; and it is cost effective. This study found that young college students are interested in cooking classes held on campus with various reasons regardless of their current meal preparation practices and previous cooking experiences.