Children’s perceived cooking competencies in Mediterranean Countries: translation and psychometric properties of the CooC11 questionnaire
This study successfully translated, culturally adapted, and validated the CooC11 questionnaire across five Mediterranean countries, confirming its psychometric reliability and utility as a harmonized tool for assessing perceived cooking competence among children and adolescents in the region.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
For decades, nutritionists and health experts have championed the Mediterranean diet not just as a list of foods to eat, but as a way of life centered on fresh ingredients and, crucially, the act of cooking itself. This culinary tradition is widely seen as a cornerstone of good health, yet recent years have shown a worrying trend: children and teenagers in these regions are cooking less and eating more processed food. Scientists suspect that the ability to prepare meals is a vital life skill that shapes what people eat for the rest of their lives. If a child learns to chop vegetables or mix ingredients early on, they are more likely to choose fresh, healthy foods as adults. However, to fix a problem, researchers first need a way to measure it. Until now, there has been no reliable, standard tool to ask children how confident they feel in the kitchen, especially across different cultures and languages in the Mediterranean basin.
To fill this gap, a team of researchers from five countries—Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey—worked together to adapt a specific questionnaire called CooC11 for use in their local languages. Originally designed in English for children aged eight to twelve, this tool asks young people to rate their ability to perform eleven common cooking tasks, such as washing vegetables, grating cheese, or using an oven. The researchers realized that simply translating the words was not enough; they had to ensure the questions made sense culturally. For instance, they removed a question about using a can opener because that tool is rarely used in these households. They also added drawings of children from diverse backgrounds to help the participants feel included and to make the tasks clear. The goal was to create a version of the test that would work equally well whether a child was sitting in a classroom in Lisbon, a community center in Istanbul, or a school in Zagreb.
The team recruited over 1,400 children and teenagers between the ages of eight and fourteen to take the survey. These young people were asked to say whether they usually performed each task and, if they did, how well they thought they did it. The researchers then used statistical methods to check if the questions were measuring what they were supposed to measure. They wanted to see if the answers naturally grouped into two main categories of skills: basic motor tasks like washing and chopping, and more complex developmental tasks like measuring ingredients or using the stove. The analysis showed that, for the most part, the questionnaire held up well across all five countries. The structure of the test remained stable, meaning that a child in Spain and a child in Croatia were answering the questions in a similar way, allowing for fair comparisons between the nations.
However, the study did find some interesting variations. In Turkey, two specific questions about measuring and weighing ingredients did not fit the expected pattern as well as the others, suggesting that these tasks might be perceived differently or practiced less frequently in that specific cultural context. Similarly, the data from Croatia showed a slightly weaker fit with the original model, hinting that the way children there understand cooking skills might have unique local nuances. Despite these small differences, the overall tool proved to be reliable. The internal consistency of the scores was strong, meaning the questions worked together to give a clear picture of a child's cooking confidence.
When the researchers looked at the results, they found that, overall, children felt moderately confident in their cooking abilities. They were more likely to say they regularly performed basic tasks, such as washing fruit or peeling vegetables, than the more complex ones. Interestingly, the children who felt most capable were older and female. Girls consistently reported higher confidence levels than boys, a pattern that has been seen in other studies as well. Age also played a role, with teenagers feeling more skilled than the younger children, which aligns with the idea that cooking abilities grow with experience and development. The study did not find a strong link between cooking confidence and how educated a child's parents were or how many people lived in their home.
This research provides a crucial new instrument for scientists and educators. By having a validated, culturally adapted questionnaire in five different languages, researchers can now accurately track cooking skills across the Mediterranean region. This is essential for designing better nutrition programs in schools and communities. If educators know that children feel less confident about specific tasks, or that boys and younger children need more encouragement, they can tailor their lessons to address those gaps. The study confirms that while children are engaging with food preparation, there is still room to build their confidence and skills, ensuring that the next generation keeps the tradition of home cooking alive.
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