Correlation between food habits and perceived barriers to healthy eating in student-athletes: a cross-sectional study with moderation analysis

University student-athletes face time, access, and cost constraints that may negatively influence diet quality. This study examined the association between perceived barriers to healthy eating (PBHE) and food habits (FH), while accounting for gender, body mass index (BMI), and training experience, and testing whether BMI moderates this relationship. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 89 university student-athletes (44 males, 45 females) recruited from a private university in Jordan. Participants completed questionnaires assessing PBHE and FH, and BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. PBHE were assessed using an 11-item scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.73), and FH were measured using a 13-item questionnaire adapted from Turconi et al. (α = 0.72). Analyses included Pearson correlation, ANCOVA with covariate adjustment, moderation testing (PBHE × BMI), and multiple regression. PBHE were moderately and inversely associated with FH (r = − 0.45, p = 0.001). PBHE remained a significant predictor of FH after adjustment for gender, BMI, and training experience (F(1,87) = 18.45, p = 0.001; β = −0.45). Moderation analysis indicated a significant PBHE × BMI interaction (β = −0.15, p = 0.045), suggesting a stronger negative association at higher BMI. The full regression model explained 28% of the variance in FH (R² = 0.28). Perceived barriers to healthy eating are meaningfully associated with poorer food habits in university student-athletes. These findings highlight the importance of addressing practical barriers such as time, access, and cost; however, longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine causal effects.