An elective high school cooking course improves students' cooking and food skills: a quasi-experimental study

The Professional Cooking (PC) course is an optional 18-week experiential learning course offered in francophone high schools in New Brunswick, Canada. Students are taught how to measure ingredients, read and follow recipes, prepare and cook various foods using different culinary techniques, and apply food safety practices.

What is the effectiveness of the PC course on high school girls' and boys' cooking and food skills, vegetable and fruit consumption, and other eating behaviours?

Students enrolled in the PC course (n = 124) or a mandatory Personal and Social Development (PSD) course (n = 202) in five high schools were recruited. Students' food and cooking skills, vegetable and fruit consumption, and other eating behaviours were collected through a self-administered, pre-post questionnaire. Group differences were assessed with mixed-effect regression models, and separate gender analyses were conducted.

Students in the PC course reported greater increases in food (β=5.74, 95% CI 1.65, 9.83) and cooking skills (β=10.33, 95% CI 5.59, 15.06) than students in the PSD course. Girls and boys in the PC course reported greater improvements in cooking skills (β=8.68, 95% CI 2.57, 14.80; β=11.97, 95% CI 4.39, 19.57, respectively) than those in the PSD course. No effect was found for vegetable and fruit consumption or other eating behaviours (all p values > 0.05).

The PC course effectively improved students' cooking skills. Curriculum-integrated high school cooking courses provide a foundation for healthier eating by helping students develop food literacy skills and should be mandatory in schools.