Effect of Socioeconomic Status and Cooking Behavior on Japanese Dietary Habits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dietary disparities due to socioeconomic status have raised recent concerns, prompting the need for more comprehensive research. Using nationwide Japanese data from the COVID-19 pandemic period, this study investigates the influence of both socioeconomic status and cooking behavior on dietary habits. The data were obtained from a December 2020 survey, “Survey of Attitudes Toward Shokuiku,” which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and specifically targeted Japanese adults 20 years and older. We measured the frequency of balanced meals and breakfast to assess healthy eating habits, with subjective economic status, subjective spare time, and cooking behavior being the independent variables. Then, we applied multivariate logistic regression analyses to elucidate the relationships between these variables. The results showed a noticeable trend; of those classified as economically disadvantaged or time-pressed, respondents who prepared their meals from basic ingredients had a higher likelihood of having balanced meals and breakfast compared to those who primarily relied on commercial food. We conclude that promoting healthy cooking behaviors and giving advice on cooking skills could alleviate the socioeconomic disparities in healthy eating habits.