Research shows benefits of families cooking together
In light of Michelle Obama hosting the first Kids’ State Dinner at the White House today, Ardyth Gillespie, professor of nutrition and creator of the Cooking Together for Family Meals program at Cornell University, is available for media interviews.
The Cooking Together for Family Meals program focused on family interaction and increasing the use of healthy foods used to prepare family meals, while data was collected to measure results. The pilot program was run from 2007 through 2009 by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Some of the results:
- By the end of the program, participating adults increased confidence in their capacity to include vegetables in meals (67% before vs. 98% after)- Cook cooperatively with their child (35% before vs. 94% after)- Program participation resulted in an 88% -100% increase in the frequency of children helping out with meal preparation at home- Youth and adult participants increased the amount and variety of vegetables consumed- Parents reported a change in family interactions around food- Adults and youth demonstrated improved food safety practices
For more information about the program:http://impact.cals.cornell.edu/project/cooking-together-family-meals
For more information about Gillespie and her work:http://www.human.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=ahg2
For interviews contact:Syl Kacapyr(607) 255-7701[email protected]
Contact Syl Kacapyr for information about Cornell's TV and radio studios.