2020 Volume 14 Issue 4 Pages 247-257
From early childhood, it is necessary to develop the ability to establish a desirable diet. A cooking seminar that allows children to practice cooking can be an important tool. Previous research on cooking seminars held outside of school classes mostly investigated seminars of up to three sessions, and there are few reports on the effects of long-term cooking seminars on meal preparation at home. In this study, we followed 31 children (2 males and 29 females), who continuously participated in five cooking seminars over a total of 6 months, and investigated changes in their dietary awareness and food attitudes at home. After the end of each cooking seminar, we conducted a questionnaire survey on the children. Results of children attending all seminars showed that as the number of times of attendance increased, so did the enjoyment of cooking, and the motivation for cooking and preparing food at home increased. Increased participation also tended to lead to cooking practices at home. This study suggested that continuous participation in cooking seminars has a positive effect on children’s interest in and attitudes toward food, and on their attitudes toward meal preparation at home.
