Child assessments of vegetable preferences and cooking self-efficacy show predictive validity with targeted diet quality measures

Abstract

Background: Cooking interventions have the potential to improve child diet quality because cooking involvement is associated with positive changes in dietary behavior. Valid and reliable instruments that are low-cost and convenient to administer are needed to feasibly assess the impact of cooking interventions on dietary behavior. The purpose of the current research is to examine the validity of fruit and vegetable preferences, cooking attitudes and self-efficacy assessments to predict targeted Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) scores among 4th-grade youth. Methods: Child fruit and vegetable preferences, cooking attitudes, self-efficacy, age, sex and race/ethnicity were collected with the Fuel for Fun survey in classroom settings using a standardized administration protocol. Child dietary assessment data consisted of three 24-h dietary recalls collected by telephone over a 2-4 week period by trained interviewers using a standard protocol. Bootstrapped linear regressions examined the predictive validity of fruit and vegetable preference, cooking attitudes and cooking self-efficacy for the Total and 4 targeted HEI components: whole fruit, total vegetables, green vegetables and beans, and empty calories. Logistic regressions were used to confirm the relationships between Fuel for Fun survey items and HEI components. Sex and a categorical variable for race/ethnicity were included as a priori controls in each regression model. Results: Vegetable preference predicted positive associations with HEI Total Score, Total Vegetables, and Green Vegetables and Beans (p < 0.05) Each additional 2 point increase in cooking self-efficacy was associated with a 1.33 point HEI Score increase, even after including BMI z-score as a control (b = 0.667, p = 0.003). Fruit preference and cooking attitudes did not significantly predict HEI total or component scores. Conclusions:This study provides evidence that low-cost, validated measures of vegetable preferences and cooking self-efficacy predict diet quality in 4th grade children. These results also reinforce the relationship between cooking and healthful dietary behavior.

Characteristics of successful primary school-based experiential nutrition programmes: a systematic literature review

“…Cooking programmes offer children a unique hands-on experience that can provide lifelong skills (89) . These benefits are coherent with similar research on culinary interventions in other settings (90,91) .…”

Impact of a School-Based Gardening, Cooking, Nutrition Intervention on Diet Intake and Quality: The TX Sprouts Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Further, research has consistently shown that parent modeling and intake of fruits and vegetables is linked to increased child intake [ 60 ]. Children enjoy learning actively and interventions that expose children to fruits and vegetables through hands-on cooking or gardening activities are associated with greater attitudes and preference towards fruits and vegetables and improved dietary intake [ 16 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ]. Child involvement in home meal preparation specifically is positively associated with improved vegetable preference, self-efficacy for cooking and choosing healthy foods, fruit and vegetable consumption, and overall dietary quality [ 67 , 68 ].…”

Quantifying Parent Engagement in Fuel for Fun Identified Design Considerations and BMI Relationships

“…Scoring guidelines were followed for each scale in the parent survey set, including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire [27], Child Feeding Styles Questionnaire [28], Parent Perceived Stress [29], Eating Competence [30,31], Fruit and Vegetable Availability [32], Modeling Healthful Eating [33] and Self-E cacy/Outcome Expectancies for serving fruits and vegetables [34]. Healthy Eating Indices were calculated from parent and student 24-hour dietary recalls using the 2010 Dietary Guidelines [35,36]. Independent t-tests, ANOVA and Chi-square were used to compare participating non-PD and PD parents and to compare students who had parents with any level of engagement to those whose parents did not participate at all.…”