Cooking Skills, Nutrition Knowledge and Eating Behaviours Among Italian Adolescents During COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Online Survey COALESCENT (Change Among Italian Adolescents).

: An online survey was submitted to students attending high schools in a province of North Italy. According to changes in food consumption, we assigned an eating habit index (EHI) score ranging from -31 to 38, reflecting respectively a worsening or an improvement in diet quality, compared to the period before the pandemic. We divided respondents into three groups considering cooking ability and number of meals able to prepare: high, medium and low cooking skills. : Overall, our results suggest that COVID-19 pandemic positively influenced cooking skills among adolescents. Good cooking abilities were associated with better nutrition knowledge and healthier eating habits, including a lower consumption of ultra-processed foods. Projects aimed to improve culinary skills in adolescents could be of value in promoting a healthier lifestyle.