Cooking Dinner at Home: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010

Purpose: The frequency of cooking dinner at home in American households has declined in recent decades. We determined the prevalence of cooking dinner at home among 2009-2010 NHANES respondents. Methods: Multinomial regression, poisson regression, and negative binomial regression models were used to predict increased odds of cooking dinner at home. Federal Poverty Level (FPL), level of education, age, gender, country of origin, and family structure were significant predictors. Results: Survey respondents who were below 350% FPL, had lower educational attainment, older age, foreign-born, and living with a partner or dependents were more likely to have increased rates of cooking dinner at home. In contrast, respondents who were younger, Black, and male were more likely to have decreased rates of cooking dinner at home. Conclusions: Further study is warranted to determine how healthier food preparation habits can be disseminated across diverse groups.