Exploring the relationship between cooking and food skills and food choice motives: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose – This study examined how adult cooking skills (CS) and food skills (FS) are associated with specific food choice motives among adults in T€urkiye, where gender roles strongly shape home cooking. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2024 with 759 adults aged 18–64 who cooked at home at least occasionally,recruited via non-probability, gender-stratified quota sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviewsin supermarketsimmediately after grocery shopping, using the Cooking and Food Skills Confidence Measure and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Nonparametric tests and multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic and planning-related factors were used. Findings – Higher CS and FS scores were positively related to the FCQ total score. CS showed stronger associations with convenience, mood, sensory appeal and price, whereas FS was more closely related to health, natural content, weight control, familiarity, ethical concerns and price. Overall, CS aligned more with convenience- and pleasure-related motives, while FS was more strongly embedded in health-, ethics- and control-oriented motives. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design and use ofself-report measures prevent causal inferences between cooking/food skills and food choice motives. Non-probability, gender-stratified quota sampling in a single province and the focus on adults who cook at home limit generalisability to the wider adult population. Ecological validity is also restricted because actual food purchases and dietary intake were not observed. Future research should use longitudinal and observational designs in more diverse settings and incorporate environmental, social and economic determinants of food choice. Practical implications – The findingssuggest that cooking and food skillsshould be treated as distinct targetsin nutrition education and public health interventions. Programmes that build food skills such as meal planning, shopping list use, budgeting and food label literacy may be especially effective forstrengthening health-, natural content-, weight control- and ethics-related motives. In contrast, interventions for younger adults and timepressed households may benefit from emphasising quick, tasty and affordable home cooking, linking convenience and sensory appeal with healthier meal options. Social implications – By highlighting how cooking and food skills relate to different food choice motives, this study points to opportunities for more equitable and realistic food policies. Skill-based approaches that recognise gendered patternsin home cooking may help avoid placing disproportionate responsibility on women and instead support shared food preparation within households. Strengthening food and cooking skills, especially among younger and lower-resource groups, may contribute to healthier, more sustainable and costconscious eating in everyday life. Originality/value – This study is among the first to map distinct cooking and food skill domains onto specific food choice motives in a large sample of home cooks in T€urkiye. By linking differentiated skill sets to motivational profiles, the findings provide a basisfor designing skill-based nutrition education and intervention strategies tailored to different demographic and motivational groups, particularly younger adults.