Abstract

Home cooking has been suggested as a key to healthy dietary intakes. However, little is known about the association between cooking behaviour and nutrient intake among young-to-middle-aged women. We aimed to investigate the association between home cooking frequency and nutrient intake adequacy among married Japanese women. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess the weekly frequency of cooking dinner at home and habitual nutrient intake during the preceding month. We evaluated nutrient intake adequacy by comparing the self-reported intake with two indices of the dietary reference intakes for Japanese (2015): the estimated average requirement (EAR) of fourteen nutrients, and the 'tentative dietary goal for preventing lifestyle-related diseases' (DG) of seven nutrients. A total of 143 participants (25-44 years old) completed the questionnaires, with 32·9% of participants reporting a weekly home cooking frequency of seven times/week. Women with a higher home cooking frequency (seven times/week) were more likely to have children (P=0·001) than those with a lower home cooking frequency (0-6 times/week). Of the nutrients evaluated, there was no significant difference between the two groups in meeting EAR and DG. Our findings suggest that daily home cooking may not be necessary to achieve adequate nutrient intake, specifically among married, young-to-middle-aged Japanese women.

Highlights

  • Home cooking has been suggested as a key to healthy dietary intakes

  • Home cooking behaviours are influenced by various factors, and not solely by nutritional knowledge or cooking skills

  • Home cooking frequency differed by age, for women, with less time spent cooking in the younger generation (45 years or younger) and more time spent cooking among women aged 45 years or older[13]

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Summary

Introduction

Home cooking has been suggested as a key to healthy dietary intakes. little is known about the association between cooking behaviour and nutrient intake among young-to-middle-aged women. Our findings suggest that daily home cooking may not be necessary to achieve adequate nutrient intake, among married, young-to-middle-aged Japanese women. Living with a partner is associated with a higher home food preparation frequency, according to a nationwide study conducted in the USA[16] These studies suggest that women of reproductive age in Western countries may play important roles in establishing the nutritional status of household members, yet it is not known whether the roles are similar for Asian women. Over 90 % of Japanese married couples live away from their parents[19], which may lead to the household work being a bigger burden for a woman in the household It has not been well studied whether home cooking frequency affects dietary intake among married, young-to-middle-aged women in Asian countries

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