The Relationship Between Cooking and Food Skills and Obesity in Women: A Cross-Sectional Research

Objective: To assess cooking and food preparation skills among women and to evaluate relationship between these skills and obesity. Material and Methods: Research was conducted with 200 female individuals aged 19-64. Sociodemographic characteristics, dietary habits, cooking and food preparation knowledge, cooking and food skills scale, and anthropometric measurements were assessed. Results: Cooking, food skills and total scale scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in women with less than a high school degree (p<0.05). Food skills and total scale scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in married women (p<0.05). Cooking, food skills and total scale scores were found to be highest in overweight and obese groups, and a statistically significant difference was found in food skills scores and total scale scores among all groups (p<0.05). Cooking, food skills and total scale scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in women who liked to cook compared to those who did not (p<0.05). Using underweight and normal individuals according to body mass index classification as a reference, a 1-unit increase in food preparation skills score increases risk of being overweight and obese by 1.022 times (p=0.009), while a 1-unit increase in total scale score increases risk of being overweight and obese by 1.013 times (p=0.031). Conclusion: Cooking and food preparation skills may help individuals meet daily nutritional needs. However, these skills might be linked to obesity depending on how they are used. Potential impact of improper use of these skills on obesity should not be ignored.