Effects of Video Technology on Cooking Self-Efficacy

College students, on average, have poor nutritional habits associated with increasing risk of obesity and chronic disease later in life. Today’s average student has low self-efficacy for cooking meals in the home and thus, is highly dependent on convenience-type food items. A valuable technique for improving cooking skill in individuals is through the use of video technology to teach cooking. Undergraduate students are likely Millennials, and prefer to use technology for learning purposes. The objective of this study was to test the effect of video technology on cooking self-efficacy in undergraduate college students living off-campus at a public Midwestern University. Two groups of undergraduate college students (n=71) were assessed for baseline self-efficacy for cooking skill and number of meals cooked per week using an online survey. One group received five weeks of a recipe card and survey assessing self-efficacy for cooking the meal and barriers to cooking in the home. The second group received five weeks of a recipe card and accompanying cooking video in addition to a survey assessing the same parameters. Participants were surveyed at the end of the study to assess changes in cooking self-efficacy, number of meals cooker per week, and differences between groups. There were significantly statistical improvements from pretest to posttest cooking self-efficacy scores for participants but no statistical difference between pretest and posttest number of meals cooked per week (p=.345). There were no statistical differences between intervention groups (p\u3e.05). Conclusions of the study found students reported confidence in cooking skill, but lacked time and equipment associated with cooking healthy meals. Overall, the use of video technology was effective at improving self-efficacy for cooking if: 1) Meals are simple, short, and specific. 2) Recipe videos are short to maintain viewer attention