Motivators and Barriers to Healthy Food Consumption: Qualitative Study with Gen Z Living in Bratislava

People in Europe have been caring about physical activity, healthy eating, and healthy body weight. The study aimed to explore the motivators and barriers to healthy food consumption among university students living in Bratislava, Slovakia. Qualitative research was conducted with sixteen students, and data were collected by written text. Self-reported written data were collected by convenience sampling and analyzed via content analysis. Four motivators of healthy food consumption were revealed (personal appearance, health-consciousness, physical activity, and social), and four barriers to healthy food consumption were obtained (functional, personal, psychological, and social). This research is original since it demonstrated motivators and barriers to healthy food consumption of young people in Bratislava with qualitative methods, which are underrepresented in literature, and discussed suggestions and practical implications about promoting healthy food consumption.