Abstract P420: The Interaction Between the Community Food Environment and Cooking Skills in Relation to Diet-Related Outcomes

Introduction: What people eat is dependent on their food environment. However, individuals with better cooking skills may be less dependent on what is available in their food environment. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that the relation of the food environment around home and work with frequency of home cooking, diet quality, and body mass index (BMI) was modified by the level of cooking skills among Dutch adults. Methods: Our study included 1461 Dutch adults aged 18-65 years, who participated in a cross-sectional survey. Availability of restaurants and food stores was determined by their count in a 1000m buffer around home and work. Frequency of home cooking was categorized into <6 days and 6-7 times a week. A validated Dutch healthy diet index (0-150 points) was used to determine dietary quality. BMI was based on self-reported height and weight. Cooking skills (score 1-5) were assessed using a validated questionnaire and added to the models as interaction term. Linear and logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, energy intake, education, income, household size, and urbanization. Results: Neither the count of restaurants nor food stores was associated with the frequency of home cooking. A 10-unit higher count of food stores was associated with higher diet quality (β: 0.58 (95% CI: 0.04, 1.13)). This association was not found for count of restaurants (β: 0.04 (95% CI: -0.02, 0.11)). A 10-unit higher count of restaurants was associated with a lower BMI (β: -0.02 (95% CI: -0.04, -0.004) but not with frequency of home cooking (OR: 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.01) or diet quality (β: 0.04 (95% CI: -0.02, 0.11). Better cooking skills were associated with higher odds of home cooking 6-7 days a week compared to <6 days a week (OR: 1.81 (95% CI 1.55, 2.12) and higher diet quality (β: 4.31 (95% CI: 3.12, 5.49)), but not with BMI (β: 0.06 (95% CI: -0.25, 0.37)). No significant effect modification between the food environment and cooking skills in relation to any of the outcomes was observed (P-for-interaction >0.1). Conclusions: In conclusion, being exposed to food stores was associated with a higher diet quality and being exposed to restaurants was associated with a lower BMI. Better cooking skills were associated with a higher frequency of home cooking and a better diet quality, but did not modify the observed associations with the food environment.