Editorial to the Special Issue: Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating
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H&TRC—Health and Technology Research Center, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal
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GreenUPorto—Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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SUScita—Research Group on Sustainability, Cities and Urban Intelligence, 3030-199 Coimbra, Portugal
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Facultad de Ciencias de la Rehabilitación y Calidad de Vida, Universidad San Sebastián, Sede Los Leones, Lota 2465, Providencia, Santiago 7500000, Chile
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2025, 17(15), 2403; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152403
Submission received: 3 July 2025
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Accepted: 21 July 2025
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Published: 23 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating)
The global food environment is undergoing rapid transformation, shaped by economic, social, cultural, and psychological factors that influence dietary behaviors [1,2]. Understanding the determinants and barriers to healthy eating is crucial for developing effective policies, interventions, and strategies to promote public health [3,4,5]. This Special Issue entitled “Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating”—aims to advance knowledge in this domain by bringing together cutting-edge research on factors that facilitate or hinder healthy dietary patterns.
Food choices are influenced by a complex interplay of individual, environmental, and systemic factors [1,6]. Individual-level determinants include nutritional knowledge, personal preferences, psychological factors, and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, and income [7]. Environmental influences encompass food availability, accessibility, affordability, marketing strategies, and cultural norms [8,9]. Additionally, systemic barriers such as food insecurity, economic disparities, and policy frameworks significantly impact dietary behaviors.
This Special Issue highlights interdisciplinary research addressing key themes such as
- The role of food environments and policies in shaping consumption behaviors [14];
- Barriers related to affordability, accessibility, and food literacy [15];
- Innovative interventions and strategies to promote healthier food consumption [11].
The articles featured in this Special Issue contribute valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and public health practitioners seeking to enhance nutritional well-being at individual and population levels. By understanding the intricate factors affecting food consumption, we can move toward more inclusive and effective strategies to overcome barriers and foster a global culture of healthy eating.
We extend our gratitude to all contributors for their rigorous research and thoughtful discussions. We hope that this collection serves as a valuable resource for future studies and inspires actionable change in the field of nutrition and public health.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, J.P.M.L. and S.D.-A.; writing—original draft, J.P.M.L.; writing—review and editing, S.D.-A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This project was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia: FCT/MCTES UIDP/05608/2020 https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/05608/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05608/2020.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lima, J.P.M.; Durán-Agüero, S. Editorial to the Special Issue: Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating. Nutrients 2025, 17, 2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152403
AMA Style
Lima JPM, Durán-Agüero S. Editorial to the Special Issue: Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating. Nutrients. 2025; 17(15):2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152403
Chicago/Turabian StyleLima, João P. M., and Samuel Durán-Agüero. 2025. "Editorial to the Special Issue: Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating" Nutrients 17, no. 15: 2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152403
APA StyleLima, J. P. M., & Durán-Agüero, S. (2025). Editorial to the Special Issue: Food Consumption Determinants and Barriers for Healthy Eating. Nutrients, 17(15), 2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17152403
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