No Correlation between Perceived Healthiness of Diet and Perceived Cooking Ability

by Emily Cowles, Katelin Franks, Meredith McDonald and Teresa Patten

Montana State University - Bozeman, Montana, USA

Abstract

Several studies have explored the topic of barriers to healthy eating with various results.

Some studies concluded that cooking skills can correlate with making healthier food choices. An

Irish study found that higher cooking and food skills correlated with higher scores on the ECI

scale, a measure of healthy eating behaviors (McGowan, 2016). A study of non-Hispanic black

adults found that the frequency of home cooked dinners correlated with higher vegetable intake

and lower empty calorie intake (Farmer, 2019). Similar conclusions were found in a study of

over 4,000 European adults that used a cooking skills scale and a food group frequency

questionnaire (Hartmann, 2013). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a

correlation between the perceived cooking ability and the perceived healthiness of a person’s

diet.

A convenience sample of n=23 was taken from a local grocery store and a five-question

survey was given orally. The results from a Pearson Correlation Analysis showed a correlation

coefficient of -0.07 which indicated no correlation between perceived cooking ability and

perceived healthiness of diet. Several limitations of the study could contribute to the lack of

correlation calculated.

Introduction

There are many varying elements that contribute to a person's health. They include the

physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual realms. Nutrition is one element
which affects an individual's health in all of the realms. Proper nourishment is key to maintaining

an overall healthy lifestyle.

Several studies in the past have explored the topic of barriers to healthy eating with

various results. Some studies concluded that cooking skills can correlate with making healthier

food choices. For example, researchers in Ireland, where there is a high prevalence of home

cooking compared to other industrialized countries, found that higher cooking and food skills

correlated with higher scores on the ECI scale, a measure of healthy eating behaviors

(McGowan, 2016). In addition, a study of non-Hispanic black adults found that the frequency of

home cooked dinners correlated with higher vegetable intake and lower empty calorie intake

(Farmer, 2019). Similar conclusions were found in a study of over 4,000 European adults that

used a cooking skills scale and a food group frequency questionnaire (Hartmann, 2013).

Other studies have focused more on other barriers to healthy eating. A UK study from

2015 found that cooking abilities did impact healthy eating behaviors, yet they also found that

cooking ability increased with age and with socio-economic status, indicating that finances may

have a bigger impact on these behaviors (Adams, 2015). Further, a study of college students in

New Jersey found that although students may have good cooking skills, it was other factors, such

as time, money, lack of kitchen tools, etc. that had a greater impact on their eating habits

(Murray, 2016). A second study of college students in Alabama found that very low food

security correlated with a lower confidence in cooking abilities and lower frequency of preparing

meals at home (Knol, 2018).

An evaluation of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s cooking skills program further explored

how increasing cooking skills could impact eating behaviors. Participants were led on a 10-week

program “…aimed at getting people of all ages and backgrounds cooking simple, fresh, healthy
food quickly and easily.” Six months after the end of the program, researchers found that there

were significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption and a significant decrease in

purchasing of take out and fast food among participants (Herbert, 2014). Eating is such a large

aspect of everyday lives; therefore, making it an enjoyable experience is ideal for ensuring

proper nutrition. With proper preparation, the nutrients needed to sustain life are transformed

into flavorful dishes and are made more enjoyable while still being used as a fuel source for the

body. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between one's perceived

cooking ability and the perceived healthiness of their diet. Researchers asked consumers in a

grocery store two survey questions:

1. How would you rate your cooking ability on a scale of high, medium or low?

2. Do you feel as though you eat a healthy diet? (yes, sometimes, no)

This study is significant because it can potentially provide causality between an

unhealthy diet and the lack of cooking skills. If cooking ability is increased, there will be an

increase the healthiness of the population’s diet.

Methodology

This study was granted ethical approval by the Institutional Review Board of Montana

State University. Data was collected from a nutrition booth positioned facing incoming shoppers

at a local grocery store on weekdays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. The research was carried out by four

researchers on randomized weekdays over the span of two months. Shoppers were asked if they

were willing to participate in a survey and once oral consent was granted, the questions were

asked, the data recorded by the researcher and later collated on a spreadsheet. A convenience

sample (n=23) was taken.

The oral survey asked five questions. There were three demographic questions:
How old are you? What is your living situation? (alone, family, partner, etc) What is your

occupation? (full time, part time, student, etc) The last two questions were the focus of the study.

How would your rate your cooking ability on a scale of high, medium or low? Do you feel as

though you eat a healthy diet? (yes, sometimes, no)

The answers yes, no and sometimes and high, medium and low were qualitative

variables. The qualitative measurements were coded with numbers (Figure 1) to make the data

quantitative then a Pearson Correlation Analysis was run.

There is a high probability of bias in this study as the questions are based on the

participants' own perception of their diet and abilities. The participant could think that their diet

is better quality than it actually is or underestimate their cooking ability.

Data and Results

Figure 1: Coding Chart for Qualitative variables

Variable 1 2 3

Cooking Ability high medium low

Healthy Diet yes sometimes no

The Pearson Correlation Analysis resulted in a correlation coefficient of -0.07. The correlation

coefficient of -0.07 indicates that there is no correlation between perceived cooking ability and

perception of a healthy diet.

Conclusion/Discussion

Principal Findings:
 Based on the data collected, there appears to be no correlation between a person's

perceived healthiness of their diet and their cooking ability (correlation coefficient = -0.07).

Answers received show that a majority of people think they eat healthy no matter if they have

high, medium or low cooking ability. Since there is no apparent link between healthiness of a

diet and cooking ability, improving cooking skills would not lead to improved quality of dietary

choices. The sample population varied in demographic characteristics, so the results can be

applied to a wider population. However, the location of the survey and the sample size may have

hindered the results.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study:

A strength of the study was that there was a wide variety in the sample population. The

ages ranged from early 20s to 70s with varying forms of employment such as student, part time,

full time and retired. Variation in the sample population allows the results to be applied to a

broader range of people.

The study conducted had many weaknesses and limitations. One limitation to this study

was a biased convenience sample since only one grocery store population was sampled. Also,

there was a higher likelihood of people knowing how to cook since they are choosing to shop at a

grocery store. The research was conducted on different weekdays, but at the same time (4:30-

6:00 pm). Shoppers at this time of the day tend to have just gotten off of work and are rushed.

This was evident as our sample size was small (n=23) and a majority of shoppers turned down

the offer to partake in the study. Since the survey was given and answered orally the questions

asked may not have been identical nor given in the same order. Lastly, the shoppers were not

asked what they considered to be a healthy diet. Each person’s perception of a healthy diet is

different and what they think is healthy may not actually be healthy.
Research Implications:

The research conducted wanted to prove that increasing a person's cooking ability would

improve the quality of their diet. If this correlation was discovered, then teaching people how to

cook may have helped solve the obesity epidemic in the United States. However, this correlation

was not found to be true. Based on the lack of correlation between the variables, offering

cooking classes to increase cooking ability in the general population would not enable people to

eat healthier. To improve the quality and validity of the research, more detailed questions should

have been asked surrounding what they consider a healthy diet to consist of.

Unanswered Questions and Future Research:

The grocery store for our sample population emphasized fresh market quality and sells

higher end products at a higher price point. Would the results be the same at a different grocery

store that sells a lower quality product at a lower price point? It would also be interesting to

discover if their perceived healthiness of their diet relates to how often the participants eat out

either at restaurants or fast food versus how often they cook. Eating out is typically associated

with poor nutrition quality. One survey taker stated that they eat healthy when they cook at

home, but not when they eat out. Would the order of the questions asked skew the results if the

participants were first asked about their cooking ability and then their perceived healthiness of

their diet? Or if they were first asked how many times they eat out in a week?

For future research, it would be important to survey more people to have higher validity.

Another way to increase validity would be to survey shoppers at a variety of grocery stores and

at different times throughout the day. Increasing the validity of the study would make it more

applicable to a wider population. In addition, surveying shoppers at a grocery store is met with

animosity from a majority of shoppers and it is difficult to get volunteers unless there is an
incentive to take the survey. Samples were offered to shoppers to encourage them to participate

in the survey; however, this incentive was not great enough for shoppers to take time out of their

trip to answer the questions. In the future, offering a greater incentive such as a gift card may

entice more shoppers to stop and engage with the survey.

References

Adams, J., Goffe, L., Adamson, A. J., Halligan, J., O’Brien, N., Purves, R., … White, M. (2015).

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of cooking skills in UK adults: cross-

sectional analysis of data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. International

Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1). doi: 10.1186/s12966-015-

0261-x

Farmer, N., Wallen, G. R., Yang, L., Middleton, K. R., Kazmi, N., & Powell-Wiley, T. M.

(2019). Household Cooking Frequency of Dinner Among Non-Hispanic Black Adults is

 Associated with Income and Employment, Perceived Diet Quality and Varied Objective

Diet Quality, HEI (Healthy Eating Index): NHANES Analysis 2007–2010. Nutrients,

11(9), 2057. doi: 10.3390/nu11092057

Garcia, A., Vargas, E., Lam, P., Shennan, D., Smith, F., & Parrett, A. (2014). Evaluation of a

cooking skills programme in parents of young children - a longitudinal study. Public

Health Nutrition, 17(5), 1013-1021. doi: 10.1017/S1368980013000165

Hartmann, C., Dohle, S., & Siegrist, M. (2013). Importance of cooking skills for balanced food

choices. Appetite, 65, 125-131. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.01.016

Herbert, J., Flego, A., Gibbs, L., Waters, E., Swinburn, B., Reynolds, J., & Moodie, M. (2014).

Wider impacts of a 10-week community cooking skills program - Jamie’s Ministry of

Food, Australia. BMC Public Health, 14(1). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1161

Knol, L. L., Robb, C. A., Mckinley, E. M., & Wood, M. (2019). Very Low Food Security Status

is Related to Lower Cooking Self-Efficacy and Less Frequent Food Preparation

Behaviors Among College Students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(3),

357–363. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2018.10.009

Lavelle, F., Spence, M., Hollywood, L., Mcgowan, L., Surgenor, D., Mccloat, A., … Dean, M.

(2016). Learning cooking skills at different ages: a cross-sectional study. International

Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13(1). doi: 10.1186/s12966-016-

0446-y

Mcgowan, L., Pot, G. K., Stephen, A. M., Lavelle, F., Spence, M., Raats, M., … Dean, M.

(2016). The influence of socio-demographic, psychological and knowledge-related

variables alongside perceived cooking and food skills abilities in the prediction of diet
 quality in adults: a nationally representative cross-sectional study. International Journal

of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 13(1). doi: 10.1186/s12966-016-0440-4

Murray, D. W., Mahadevan, M., Gatto, K., O’Connor, K., Fissinger, A., Bailey, D., & Cassara,

E. (2015). Culinary efficacy: an exploratory study of skills, confidence, and healthy

cooking competencies among university students. Perspectives in Public Health, 136(3),

143–151. doi: 10.1177/1757913915600195

Utter, J., Larson, N., Laska, M., Winkler, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2018). Self-Perceived

Cooking Skills in Emerging Adulthood Predict Better Dietary Behaviors and Intake 10

Years Later: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50(5),

494-500.doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2018.01.021