Social disparities in food preparation behaviours

Socio-economic differences in nutrition and eating behaviors are important for socio-economic health disparities, and differences in food preparation practices may partly explain such differences in nutrition and eating behaviors. In a study just published in Nutrition Journal (with Dr. Caroline Méjean as first author) we investigated whether there was an independent association of socio-economic indicators (education, occupation, income) with food preparation behaviors.
A total of 62,373 adults participating in the web-based NutriNet-Santé cohort study were included in the analyses. The study was part of the Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) joint action. Cooking skills, preparation from scratch and kitchen equipment were assessed as well as frequency of meal preparation, enjoyment of cooking and willingness to cook better/more frequently.
Participants with the lowest education, the lowest income group and female manual and office workers spent more time preparing food daily than participants with the highest education, those with the highest income and managerial staff. The lowest educated individuals were more likely to be non-cooks than those with the highest education level, while female manual and office workers and the never-employed were less likely to be non-cooks. Female manual and office workers had lower scores of preparation from scratch and were less likely to want to cook more frequently than managerial staff. Women belonging to the lowest income group had less kitchen equipment and were less likely to enjoy cooking meal daily than those with the highest income.
Lower socio-economic groups, particularly women, spend more time preparing food than high socioeconomic groups, but were less likely to prepare meals from scratch with fresh ingredients and enjoy cooking less.