Effects of video technology on cooking self-efficacy of college students

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to test the effect of video technology on cooking self-efficacy in undergraduate college students living off-campus at a public Midwestern University.

Participants

71 undergraduate college students living off-campus at a large Midwestern University.

Methods

Online surveys assessing changes in self-efficacy, number of meals cooked per week, and barriers to cooking.

Results

There were statistically significant improvements from pretest to post-test cooking self-efficacy scores for participants but no statistically significant differences between pretest and post-test number of meals cooked per week. There were no statistical differences between recipe intervention groups.

Conclusions

Students reported confidence in cooking skill, but lacked time and equipment associated with cooking healthy meals. Overall, the use of video technology was effective at improving self-efficacy for cooking if meals are simple and short, and videos are short to maintain viewer attention.

Keywords:

• College students
• cooking self-efficacy
• culinary skills
• health belief model
• video technology

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Illinois State University.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by a small student research grant from Illinois State University.