Association between Motives for Dish Choices during Home Meal Preparation and Weight Status in the NutriNet-Santé Study

Low Cooking Skills Are Associated with Overweight and Obesity in Undergraduates

Culinary skills are defined as the confidence, attitude, and the application of one's individual knowledge in performing culinary tasks, and their development may be associated with better diet quality and better health status. This study aimed to analyze the association between cooking skills, overweight, and obesity in undergraduates. This is a descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study, with data collected between October 2020 and March 2021, with undergraduate students (n = 823) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Participants answered the online Brazilian Cooking Skills and Healthy Eating Questionnaire Evaluation, BCSQ, which included socioeconomic information. Logistic regressions were used to assess the associations of cooking skills with overweight and obesity. From the total of the students, 70.8% were female, with a median age of 23 (21-30) years; 43.6% were with overweight or obesity; 48.8% were eutrophic; and 7.7% underweight. Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with low levels of culinary self-efficacy and self-efficacy in the use of fruits, vegetables, and seasonings in the bivariate analysis. The logistic regressions showed that living with other people and eating out were associated with higher chances of overweight and obesity. Sharing the responsibility for preparing meals and a high self-efficacy in the use of fruits, vegetables, and seasonings were associated with lower chances for overweight/obesity. Overall, our study showed that overweight and obesity were associated with lower cooking skills in the studied undergraduates. Therefore, the study demonstrates that culinary skills can be explored in educational programs that aim to reduce overweight/obesity in students.

The role of health-based food choice motives in explaining the relationship between lower socioeconomic position and higher BMI in UK and US adults

Background/Objectives

Lower socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with increased risk of higher BMI and developing obesity. No research to date has directly examined whether SEP differences in health-based food choice motives or executive function explain why lower SEP is associated with higher BMI.

Subjects/Methods

We analysed observational data from large samples of UK (N = 4130) and US (N = 1898) adults which included measures of SEP (education level, household income and subjective social status) and self-reported BMI. Participants also completed validated self-report measures on the extent to which their day-to-day food choices were motivated by health and weight control, as well as completing computerized tasks measuring inhibitory control (Stroop task) and working memory (Digit span task).

Results

Across both UK and US adults, the relationship between indicators of lower SEP and higher BMI were consistently explained by participants from lower SEP backgrounds reporting being less motivated by health when making food choices, which accounted for 18–28% of the association between lower SEP and higher BMI. There was no evidence that measures of executive function explained associations between SEP and BMI or moderated relations between food choice motives and higher BMI.

Conclusions

SEP differences in health-based food choice motives may play an important role in explaining why lower SEP is associated with an increased risk of higher BMI.

"They Eat What They Eat, I Eat What I Eat": Examining the Perspectives and Experiences of African Americans Who Adopt Plant-Based Diets

Adopting a plant-rich or plant-based diet is one of the major recommendations for addressing obesity, overweight, and related health conditions in the United States. Currently, research on African Americans' food choices in the context of plant-based diets is limited. The primary aim of this study was to understand food-related experiences and perceptions of African Americans who were participating in the Nutritious Eating with Soul (NEW Soul) study, a culturally tailored dietary intervention focused on increasing the consumption of plant-based foods. The roles of gender and ethnicity were also examined to identify how eating patterns were chosen or maintained. Twenty-one African American adults in South Carolina, who were randomly assigned to either a vegan diet (n = 11) or a low-fat omnivorous diet (n = 10) in the NEW Soul study, completed one-on-one, qualitative interviews. Emerging themes included awareness, being in control, and identity. The study revealed that access to social support and coping strategies for addressing negative comments about plant-based food choices may be important components to include in future nutrition interventions focused on African Americans.

Can eating pleasure be a lever for healthy eating? A systematic scoping review of eating pleasure and its links with dietary behaviors and health

The aims of this review were to map and summarize data currently available about 1) key dimensions of eating pleasure; 2) associations of eating pleasure, and its key dimensions, with dietary and health outcomes and 3) the most promising intervention strategies using eating pleasure to promote healthy eating. Using the scoping review methodology, a comprehensive search of the peer-reviewed literature (Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, ERIC, Web of Science, CINAHL, ABI/Inform global and Sociology Abstract) and of the grey literature (ProQuest Dissertations & Theses and Google) was carried out by two independent reviewers. We included 119 of the 28,908 studies found. In total, 89 sub-dimensions of eating pleasure were grouped into 22 key dimensions. The most frequently found related to sensory experiences (in 50.9% of the documents), social experiences (42.7%), food characteristics besides sensory attributes (27.3%), food preparation process (19.1%), novelty (16.4%), variety (14.5%), mindful eating (13.6%), visceral eating (12.7%), place where food is consumed (11.8%) and memories associated with eating (10.9%). Forty-five studies, mostly cross-sectional (62.2%), have documented links between eating pleasure and dietary and/or health outcomes. Most studies (57.1%) reported favorable associations between eating pleasure and dietary outcomes. For health outcomes, results were less consistent. The links between eating pleasure and both dietary and health outcomes varied according to the dimensions of eating pleasure studied. Finally, results from 11 independent interventions suggested that strategies focusing on sensory experiences, cooking and/or sharing activities, mindful eating, and positive memories related to healthy food may be most promising. Thus, eating pleasure may be an ally in the promotion of healthy eating. However, systematically developed, evidence-based interventions are needed to better understand how eating pleasure may be a lever for healthy eating.

Cooking as a Health Behavior: Examining the Role of Cooking Classes in a Weight Loss Intervention

Americans are cooking fewer meals at home and eating more convenience foods prepared elsewhere. Cooking at home is associated with higher quality diets, while a reduction in cooking may be associated with increases in obesity and risk factors for chronic disease. The aims of this study were to examine cooking as an intervention for weight control in overweight and obese adults, and whether such an intervention increases participants' food agency and diet quality. Overweight and obese adults were randomized into one of two intervention conditions: active or demonstration. Both conditions received the same 24-week behavioral weight loss intervention, and bi-weekly cooking classes. The active condition prepared a weekly meal during a hands-on lesson, while the demonstration condition observed a chef prepare the same meal. The active condition lost significantly more weight at six months compared with the demonstration condition (7.3% vs. 4.5%). Both conditions saw significant improvements in food agency scores and Healthy Eating Index scores, though no significant differences were noted between groups. The addition of active cooking to a weight management intervention may improve weight loss outcomes, though benefits in diet quality and cooking behaviors may also be seen with the addition of a demonstration-only cooking intervention.

Identifying Factors Related to Food Agency: Cooking Habits in the Spanish Adult Population-A Cross-Sectional Study

This study focuses on understanding factors that influence food agency in the Spanish population, specifically with regard to cooking habits, knowledge, and determinants and their possible relationship with body weight. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted. Individuals were asked about their cooking responsibilities, how they learned to cook, factors that affect their food choices, and their preferred cooking techniques. Anthropometric data were also recorded. Participants were randomly selected, and we finally had 2026 respondents aged ≥18 years (60% women, 40% men). A total of 90.5% of participants stated that they had cooking skills. Women were mainly responsible for cooking tasks (p < 0.05) at all ages. A significantly higher proportion of people under 50 years self-reported that they were "able to cook" in comparison with groups over 50 years. Regardless of age, most participants learned to cook either by practice (43.3%) or from a family member (42.2%). Men tended to be more autodidactic, whereas women reported learning from family. No relation was found between weight status and the evaluated factors investigated. In conclusion, women bear the responsibility for the entire cooking process in families, indicating a gender gap in the involvement of men in cooking responsibilities and competence. More research is needed to assess the influence of cooking knowledge on obesity prevention.