Culinary Habits and Health: Analyzing the Impact of Cooking Practices and Knowledge Among Spanish Young Adults

<b><i>Background</i></b>: Culinary habits and knowledge play a key role in shaping dietary behaviors and overall health. In Spain, societal changes have led to a decline in traditional Mediterranean practices and, in some cases, to unhealthy lifestyles. This study explores the relationship between culinary habits, knowledge, and health behaviors among adults in Spain. <b><i>Methods</i></b>: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1534 participants using validated questionnaires to assess culinary habits, knowledge, and lifestyle factors. Data were collected online via snowball sampling and analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and a Gaussian graphical model to explore variable associations. <b><i>Results</i></b>: Participants with healthy culinary habits reported higher self-perceived health and greater fruit and vegetable consumption, while those with unhealthy habits consumed more fast food. Higher culinary knowledge was linked to better dietary choices, more vegetables and cereals, and lower smoking rates. Higher home cooking frequency was moderately correlated with the use of healthy cooking techniques. The network analysis showed that the frequency of cooking at home is positively associated with gender and age. A similar association was found for time spent cooking. Positive associations were also found between living with the family and time spent cooking, while age showed a negative correlation with living situation. Centrality measures identified influential variables within the network. <b><i>Conclusions</i></b>: Culinary knowledge and habits strongly influence health behaviors. Network analysis underscores the importance of specific variables such as cooking frequency and living situation in shaping lifestyle patterns. Educational programs aimed at enhancing culinary skills could promote healthier eating behaviors and mitigate public health risks.