Tate Kayla E, Bassett Angel, Gavras Heather, Toner Cheryl D, Petersen Kristina S
Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.
American Heart Association, Dallas, TX, United States.
Front Public Health. 2025 Aug 13;13:1648218. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1648218. eCollection 2025.
The present study aimed to quantify differences in barriers and facilitators to healthy eating experienced in a U.S. census-representative sample of the general population and a sample of low-income individuals.
A cross-sectional survey was administered to U.S. adults. Barriers and facilitators to healthy eating were assessed with survey questions pertaining to important and influential attributes for food purchasing, attitudes about food purchasing, and barriers and facilitators to choosing healthy foods. Two samples were recruited: (1) a general sample that was census-representative for age, income, gender, and geographic region approximated from the 2022 US census data ( = 1,182); (2) a low-income sample that reported an income of less than $34,000 per year and participating in federal food or healthcare assistance programs ( = 506). Differences between samples for barriers and facilitators to healthy eating were assessed using chi-square tests for proportions.
Taste and cost were identified as key barriers to healthy eating across all survey questions, and nutritional value of foods was not found to be a priority. Facilitators to healthy eating included having access to budget friendly and good tasting recipes and preparing grocery lists in advance.
Future interventions seeking to improve diet quality may benefit from emphasizing flavor and taste as necessary components of healthy eating.
本研究旨在量化美国普通人群的人口普查代表性样本和低收入个体样本在健康饮食的障碍和促进因素方面的差异。
对美国成年人进行了一项横断面调查。通过与食品购买的重要和有影响力属性、食品购买态度以及选择健康食品的障碍和促进因素相关的调查问题，评估了健康饮食的障碍和促进因素。招募了两个样本：（1）一个年龄、收入、性别和地理区域具有人口普查代表性的普通样本，近似于2022年美国人口普查数据（n = 1,182）；（2）一个年收入低于34,000美元且参与联邦食品或医疗保健援助计划的低收入样本（n = 506）。使用卡方比例检验评估了健康饮食障碍和促进因素样本之间的差异。
在所有调查问题中，口味和成本被确定为健康饮食的关键障碍，且未发现食品的营养价值是一个优先考虑因素。健康饮食的促进因素包括能够获得价格实惠且美味的食谱以及提前准备购物清单。
未来旨在改善饮食质量的干预措施可能会受益于强调风味和口味是健康饮食的必要组成部分。
