The association between fathers' childhood meal preparation experiences and current cooking skills in preparing healthy meals for children and foodwork involvement in Japan: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To achieve 'Sustainable Healthy Diets', it is critical to address the observed gender discrepancy in meal preparation time allocation. Japanese fathers spend significantly less time on food-related housework (foodwork) than mothers. This study aimed to investigate the association between fathers' childhood meal preparation experiences and their current cooking skills in preparing healthy meals for their children, as well as their involvement in foodwork in Japan. An online cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2022 with 500 Japanese fathers living in dual-earner households with children aged 3-6 years. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine the above-mentioned associations, with fathers' age and education as control variables. This study examined 463 fathers who did not live with their children's grandparents. We evaluated the fathers' cooking skills on a scale and obtained an average score of 6.9, ranging from 3 to 15; foodwork involvement was assessed similarly, resulting in an average score of 4.1, ranging from 0 to 8. ANCOVA results showed that fathers with experience in meal preparation from childhood were more likely to have higher cooking skills scores (adjusted mean (SEM) = 7.8 (0.35)) than fathers with no experience (adjusted mean (SEM) = 6.5 (0.24), adjusted p < 0.05). They were also more likely to have higher foodwork involvement scores (adjusted mean (SEM) = 4.9 (0.26)) than fathers with no experience (adjusted mean (SEM) = 3.8 (0.18)) or experiences from adulthood (adjusted mean (SEM) = 4.0 (0.28), adjusted p < 0.05). Therefore, fathers' childhood meal preparation experience may impact their current cooking skills and foodwork involvement. Hence, age-appropriate programs are required that continually encourage children to prepare meals at home.