Catherine Addor

UH 401

Mock

February 22, 2024

Kitchen Thoughts: A Literature Review

Introduction

The issue regarding new adults and their relationship with the kitchen is both a health concern

and a psychological one. When thinking back on the past four years of my life, and how it has

been dedicated to the knowledge of food and nutrition, I found that my focus could be on

something that is about to occur rather than something that has already been studied. Becoming a

graduate and living away from any premade meals, home cooking, or fast food, means that there

must be an alternative. This is true for many new adults living on their own. Simply googling the

topic, articles from various news sites have different ways to help. Reviewed has a list of

essential tools for the kitchen, including knifes and a food processor. 1 Cooklist discusses the

importance of certain skills that people should have.2 Lifestyle Frisco tries to give a brief overall

guide to cooking.3 There seems to be a gap for a central resource available to young adults

specifically as they navigate this new world of cuisine. The purpose of this literature review is to

determine the current research regarding nutritional habits and perspectives among young adults,

either current student or post-graduate adults, living on their own and cooking for themselves,

and how any negativity surrounding these topics can be remedied.

Methods

When conducting this review the databases Scout and EBSCO were used. When researching,

keywords such as cooking, nutrition, young adult, new adult, food, and grocery shopping were
used. Articles were chosen if they were from a peer reviewed journal and the studies mentioned

were within the last 10 years to ensure that the participants were ones that could relate to current

issues and digital access. Articles were also given higher priority if they could tie their research

back to a method of solving the issues presented, and provided a correlation between the two.

Exclusion criteria included anything involving participants aged younger than 16 or older than

40, as well as studies that were not done in published journals. Any background knowledge was

used from sources without consideration of this exclusion criteria. They were not dismissed

based on location or consistency with other journal articles. The studies reviewed in the literature

are qualitative in nature and use varying ways to analyze and synthesize results.

Current Problems Young Adults Have Regarding Food

The current issues regarding emerging adults in the kitchen has more to do with mindset and less

to do with being physically unable. The psychological aspects of being expected to do something

you have never done to the quantity that comes with cooking for oneself cannot be understated.

By reviewing some of the current qualitative research we have a better understanding of the

mind of a young adult in the modern age.

In a study conducted by Douglas Murray and his team, they explored the skills, knowledge, and

confidence of college-age individuals by conducting focus groups where they interviewed them

about their preferences and how skilled they felt within the kitchen. 4 Their results yielded that

although most students “had a basic knowledge of the key principles of eating a balanced diet, it

may not have necessarily translated into actual food choices and cooking practices.” 4 Many

students may hear about the importance of healthy eating, but lack application. The goal for

solutions should lean into giving new adults motivation and skill to complete tasks.
A study published in the Journal of Public Health had four groups of young adults who were

interviewed, and the transcripts were analyzed for recurrent topics. 5 The results indicated that

“emergent themes included: the value for money in food purchases, time convenience, the car as

a means of accessing food and health perceptions.” 5 While solutions to the problem at hand

should include motivation, it must also take into account the price point, the time it takes to

prepare and cook, and the location of procuring the ingredients. In a similar study published

titled, “How Can We Support Healthy Eating in Young Adults with Low Diet Quality? A Survey

of Users of the ‘No Money No Time’ Healthy Eating Website,” 6 the researchers acquired

comparable answers. The research included an online survey completed by various 18–35-year-

olds from a variety of genders and socioeconomic classes who frequent the website “No Money

No Time.” researchers asked them about their food skills and confidence, as well as ways they

found healthy eating to be a challenge. The results showed that the problems regarding healthy

eating included “time and cost,”6 as well as there being a high confidence in food skills rather

than in cooking skills; meaning there is a better knowledge of foods rather than how to prepare

them.

Current Views New Adults Have Regarding Food

Ultimately, these concurrent ideas and issues regarding the responsibility in the kitchen lead to

the search for a better perspective about the relationship young adults have to both nutritional

value and the ways in which they feel they control the situation.

When looking at where the general population consumes or shops for food, the proximity to a

local store may mean the difference between an at home cooked meal versus fast food. The same

cannot necessarily be said for the digital generation that young adults live in today. One of the

benefits to a post-COVID19 world is the increase in availability of online grocery shopping. In

the article titled, “The Demand for Online Grocery Shopping: COVID-Induced Changes in

Grocery Shopping Behavior of Canadian Consumers,” researchers surveyed of over 600 people

to understand the permanence of online grocery shopping. 7 Results show that 72% of those

surveyed said their habits changed, and 62% of those people said they plan on continuing those

habits even in a post-COVID world.7 While there was an absence of information given about the

age of participants, the results were included due to the large population size and application to

the literature review. Its implication to this review, and the project that is produced after, will be

useful in providing appropriate resources for the type of grocery shopping or fast food available

to modern young adults. Looking at a group of young adults in South Africa, a research study

published in the Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research aimed to understand the probability

that someone who uses online grocery shopping would reuse it. While a statistic of how many

have used these recourses is useful, it is more important to know if it is a sustainable solution.

Results of this study showed that “there is high mobile penetration as a result of positive digital

commerce and mobile application usage and adoption.” 8 Knowing that most of these individuals

see online shopping as something that fits their values and lifestyle means there is room to

provide solutions through these means. The authors of the research also note that these results

provide evidence for the “extent to which systems and marketing elements influence young adult

customers' intention to continue using online and mobile grocery shopping.”8

Young adults living on their own also experience a change in eating habits that affect their desire

to be in the kitchen. In a literature review conducted by Myles A. Malliet and Frederick M. E.

Grouzet, they examined “how and why eating behavior changes during the transition to

university.”9 They found that the behaviors that changed when students went to university

encompassed when, what, and how often they ate. These habit changes were more obvious in
students who moved to campus or off-campus rather than commuting from their childhood

home.9 There was evidence that those who had previous skill living on their own had less of an

impact than those who did not and were newly independent. 9 This may indicate that students are

not often exposed to independent cooking at home and could lack the motivation or knowledge

when they move out. Similarly, when someone moves away from their university or from their

parent’s home to a place of their own, the same skills are lacking. The convenience of dining

halls also negates some of the need for these students to seek the resources necessary to practice

cooking for oneself.

A literature review published in Nutrition Today examines the “impact that perceived cooking

skills and psychological characteristics can have on young adults' eating habits.” 10 Taking a more

psychological approach to this topic, researchers are able to understand how people’s emotions

can affect their relationship with food and the kitchen. In the research, it was found that emotions

can lead to unhealthy eat habits no matter whether the emotion is positive or negative. 10 There

was also significant lifestyle factors that affected their eating habits, including their willingness

to try new foods, whether they meal planned in advance, or if there are perceived gender roles

(women cook and men receive).10 When looking to the review at hand, it is important when

assessing the current research to remember that the other factors in the lives of the participants

could be affecting their answers. This is also something to keep in mind for the possible

solutions to fill the gap in accessible information. One of the conclusions researchers came to is

“there does seem to be a positive relationship between cooking skills and eating habits that

suggest that fostering cooking skills may be helpful in improving dietary habits.”10

Solutions Proposed
To try and fill the gap between young/new adults and the confidence in the kitchen, all attitudes

and problems need to be considered. There seems to be big issue with the knowledge of skills

prior to independence from parent unit or childhood home. There is also the issue of lifestyle and

socioeconomic status, which leads to thinking about time management, access to transportation,

local areas where grocery shopping can take place, and the price point people are shopping at.

Mental status is also a huge factor that plays into what should go into solutions, including

motivation, emotions, and habits.

When looking at increasing confidence in the kitchen, there are clear routes that have always

been taken: practice makes perfect. Being able to train the skills needed when cooking is

important as cooking can be read but is a physical action. In an article published by the

Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice & Research, researchers aimed to analyze the behaviors

of adolescents and young adults in association with diet and grocery shopping. 11 Their results

yielded that of those who live at home, “37.3% had helped with grocery shopping in the past

week, and 84.3% had participated in dinner preparation at least 1 day in the past week.” 11 There

seemed to be a correlation between this participation and the eating choices and habits created.

One way the researcher suggest young adults create better diets was by increasing these

behaviors earlier than necessary. While this study included participants below the age of 16, the

importance of the habits at a later age felt necessary to its inclusion. Similar results were

established in a longitudinal study that lasted 10 years. Researchers found that “developing

adequate cooking skills by emerging adulthood may have long-term benefits for nutrition over a

decade later.”12 The researchers completed an interview with participants ages 18-23 discussing

their cooking skills, and then again at the age of 30-35. Findings were statistically significant that

those who had more confidence in their skills at a younger age had better diet habits at an older
age.12 This supports the idea that any intervention proposed should have a practical activity to go

along with any sort of reading.

When it comes to the delivery of action-based interventions, emphasis on hands-on skills is

integral to developing knowledge and skills. 4,10 In Australia, Public Health Nutrition published a

study focusing on the diet quality when meal preparation was compared to fast food. 13 This

particular study used participants that were enrolled in undergraduate nutrition classes ages 18 to

36 years.13 Due to the importance of preparing new adults before they live on their own, the

integration in university is important to the success of graduate’s abilities post-graduation. Their

research showed that “maintaining education programmes that promote cooking skills within

young adults has the potential to improve DGI scores,” 13 with DGI standing for Dietary

Guideline Index.

A new term was uncovered in the pursuit of this literature review: “convenience cooking

products.”14 It is defined as a “food that has been further processed to make it as easily

consumable. The food may have been entirely prepared into a ready-to-eat cooked meal…[or] a

pre-prepared sandwich or salad…it may be a type of food that is convenient to eat in nature.” 15

While this is not raw ingredients involved in traditional cooking, it may provide a positive

alternative to fast-food or highly processed options available to those on a strict time crunch or

have low motivation in the kitchen. In the research study titled, “Diet Quality in Young Adults

and Its Association with Food-Related Behaviours,” 14 researchers set out to consider the diet

quality of young adults who use these convenience products, with the earlier assumption that

they lower diet quality and kitchen confiedence. 14 They found that actually

“higher cooking confidence and creativity, and higher vegetable variety scores, compared to less
regular users,” meaning that there is room to incorporate these types of foods into the starter or

consistent mealtime skills, and use them as a tool to increase confidence.

Conclusion

Ultimately, being able to participate in food related behaviors is an incredibly important cultural

and independent venture. When someone can participate in their own life this way, they not only

increase their feeling of individuality, but also join a world of people who are a part of a culture

of foodies and chefs. Considering all the problems associated with average young, emerging

adults in the kitchen, there are many solutions available in our tech savvy world. Creating

something that combines the technological world and the very important hands-on interaction

required to feel fully confident will be the key to success in bridging the gaps in kitchen

confidence.
 References

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