Associations of cooking skills with child dietary behaviors and health

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K14029
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 08030:Family and consumer sciences, and culture and living-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Tani Yukako 東京医科歯科大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 助教 (70735422)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 調理技術 / 調理頻度

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Evidence has been accumulating on the dietary benefits of home cooking. Cooking skills may be critical to encourage home cooking and improve the quality of meals. However, most existing studies have focused on dietary benefits among adults, and limited research has examined the associations of caregiver cooking skills with child diet and health. We examined whether caregiver cooking skills were associated with frequency of home cooking, child dietary behaviors, and child body weight status in Japan. As a result, a low level of caregiver cooking skills was associated with infrequent home cooking, unhealthy child dietary behaviors, and child obesity.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生学、食生活学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

保護者の調理技術が高いことが、家庭での調理頻度の増加に繋がり、子どもの不健康な食行動や肥満を予防できる可能性が考えられる。保護者の調理技術が子どもの健康に及ぼす影響を検討した研究は国際的にも類がなく、家庭での食環境が子どもに及ぼす多様な影響についての理解が進み、子どもの健康推進のための新たなアプローチの提案に寄与するという点から社会的意義が大きいと考える。また、日本人に使用可能な調理技術の測定方法を確立したことは、今後の研究への波及効果が期待でき、学術的価値が高い。