The Impact of Culinary Education on Adolescents' Psychosocial Wellbeing: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Culinary education appears to have psychosocial benefits among children and adults; however, this remains unclear among adolescents. This review aimed to synthesise evidence examining the impact of culinary education on adolescents' psychosocial wellbeing. A literature search was conducted in six databases to identify articles published in 2005–2025 in English, using search terms related to culinary education, psychosocial wellbeing, and adolescents. Included articles examined the impact of culinary education programs on psychological and/or social wellbeing of adolescents aged 10–19 years. From 1783 articles, 84 were screened in full text. Six articles from New Zealand (n = 3), Denmark (n = 1), Germany (n = 1), and the United States (n = 1) were included. The duration of culinary education ranged from a single day to six weeks. Five of the six (83.3%) school and/or community-based culinary education programs showed short-term improvements in adolescents' psychological and/or social wellbeing through enhanced relatedness and social identity formation. The quality of included studies was generally moderate, limited by small sample sizes and study designs that may introduce bias. In conclusion, culinary education may support adolescents' psychosocial wellbeing in the short term, though the evidence base is limited. Further rigorous research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms and evaluate long-term effectiveness to inform future initiatives.