Objective: To evaluate longitudinally the effectiveness of a cooking programme on self-reported confidence about cooking skills and food consumption patterns in parents of young children. Design: An evaluation of cooking programmes delivered by National Health Service (NHS) community food workers using a single group pre-test/post-test repeated measures design. A shortened version of a validated questionnaire at baseline, post intervention and 1-year follow-up determined confidence in cooking using basic ingredients, following a simple recipe, tasting new foods, preparing and cooking new foods on consumption of ready meals, vegetables and fruit. Setting: Deprived communities in Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland. Subjects: Parents of nursery age children, 97 % were female and ,45 years old. Results: One hundred and two participants had completed baseline and postintervention questionnaires. Forty-four participants contacted by telephone completed a follow-up questionnaire. In participants who completed all questionnaires (n 44), median confidence in four aspects of cooking increased significantly from baseline to post intervention (P , 0?001) but was retained at 1-year follow-up only for following a simple recipe and preparing and cooking new foods. Improved food consumption patterns were reported from baseline to post intervention (ready-meal consumption reduced from 2-4 times/week to 1 time/week, P , 0?001; vegetable consumption increased from 5-6 times/week to 1 time/d, P , 0?001; fruit consumption increased from 5-6 times/week to 1 time/d, P , 0?001) and remained at 1-year follow-up. Conclusions: The cooking programmes appeared to improve cooking confidence and food consumption patterns in the target group and some of these changes were retained after 1 year.

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