A study of perceptions of food preparation skills in Hong Kong adolescents

Food preparation skills are among the essential practical skills young people need to learn in order to equip themselves for independent, healthy adult lives. This study examined Hong Kong adolescents’ perceptions of these skills. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 588 secondary school students aged 11 to 18 years in Hong Kong. Data regarding subjects’ experiences in cooking, their attitudes to cooking skills and their families’ cooking habits were elicited. The findings revealed that cooking was generally considered to be interesting and important by young people, and more respondents cooked by reason of their own interest rather than because they had a responsibility to do so. Mothers were the most frequently cited source of cooking skills (47%), with school second (27%), recipe books third (11%), fathers fourth (7%) and TV programs least (4%). The majority of the students claimed that their family meals were primarily prepared with fresh food ingredients, and more than 60% of them reported they were confident about using fresh ingredients to cook though most of them either never or rarely have chances to cook together with their parents. The implications of the findings for further research and for schools’ food and nutrition education initiatives are discussed. Copyright © 2007 HEIA.