Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of SCT-based cooking classes on collegiate student-athletes’ (N = 22, 18-22 years), self-efficacy for making healthful food choices and preparing food. Previous studies have reported a positive association between self-efficacy and health behavior change. Participants attended 4, 1-hour workshops that included food demonstrations, hands-on food preparation, and food sampling. This intervention was an addition to the University of Idaho Life Skills course, which is offered exclusively to student-athletes.

The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare student-athletes’ responses pre- and post-intervention. Student-athletes reported increased self-efficacy for most healthy food choices (5/7) and cooking skills (10/11), (p < .05). Greatest improvements in median self-efficacy were reported for steaming vegetables (2 vs. 4, p < .0001), stir-frying vegetables (2 vs. 3.5, p = .001), and baking fish (2 vs. 4, p = .001). Most (86%) participants reported planning to make the recipes again and all were in favor of including cooking workshops in the Life Skills course in the future. Further research is needed to determine the effect of these classes on student-athletes’ diets.