Dairy Consumption Across Generations-A Structural Equation Model of Central European Adults

Background/Objectives: Dairy products provide a wide range of essential nutrients and therefore remain relevant to nutrient adequacy and public health challenges. Concurrently, consumer behaviors vary across demographics and continue to evolve in response to the transformation of the food system as a whole. Aim and Methods: To examine the impact of health and sustainability, as well as consumers' openness to innovations and food choices from a generational perspective, data collected among 3131 adults were analyzed. The link between dairy consumption and three latent variables was evaluated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The clearest pattern was observed among Gen X, where all three constructs-nutritional value, innovativeness, and sustainability-were positive predictors of dairy consumption. Sustainability was a strong, significant predictor among Millennials, and none of the analyzed three variables was statistically significant among the Baby Boomers and Gen Z cohorts. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that dairy consumption among Central European consumers is a multidimensional phenomenon impacted by multiple determinants. The patterns of associations observed across generational and gender subsamples were not uniform, highlighting the importance of considering consumer diversity when developing communication tools and public health nutrition policies.