What drives food choices? Sociodemographic predictors in a representative Czech population sample

Dietary behavior represents a major determinant of population health, contributing substantially to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other non-communicable conditions. Across Central and Eastern Europe, dietary risks are compounded by socioeconomic inequalities and post-socialist market transitions that have reshaped food environments. While price, taste, and health are well-established drivers of food choice, less is known about how these motives, including emerging environmental considerations, are distributed across social groups in this region. This study examined how sociodemographic characteristics are associated with food choice motives among Czech adults in a nationally representative sample, and how these patterns relate to broader regional contexts. A cross-sectional survey of 1,803 Czech adults (aged ≥ 15 years) was conducted using quota sampling representative by age, gender, education, region, and settlement size. Respondents selected up to three key food choice criteria from a standardized list. Associations between gender, age, education, and income and each motive were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Taste (63.7%), price (37.6%), and health considerations (31.5%) were the most frequently reported food choice motives, whereas environmental considerations were rare (2.5%). Men more frequently reported taste-based motives, while women more often emphasized health- and nutrition-related considerations. Higher education was associated with greater attention to nutritional value and ingredient quality, whereas lower education and income were linked to greater price sensitivity and reliance on hedonic cues. Environmental considerations showed no strong sociodemographic patterning. Food choice motives in post-socialist Central Europe are shaped by multiple sociodemographic factors, with persistent socioeconomic gradients. Addressing these disparities may require policies that prioritize structural and economic determinants of food choice while cautiously integrating environmental objectives, in order to align equity, public health, and sustainability goals.