Light meal consumption among university students in China: A multi-regional cross-sectional study of behavioral patterns, influencing factors, and service optimization strategies under supply-side heterogeneity

Publisher abstract

This study surveyed 270 college students from seven major geographic regions of China and, using multiple ordinal logistic regression, structural equation modeling (SEM), importance–performance analysis (IPA), and K-means clustering, examined their light meal consumption behavior, its determinants, and service optimization pathways. Results show that light meal consumption is characterized by diversified demands, regular-meal-oriented timing, rigid price sensitivity, and functionalized categories; specific dietary needs are the core driver of consumption frequency (B = −1.985, p < 0.001), whereas grade, gender, monthly living expenses, and campus supply conditions are not significant. In universities without a light meal supply, consumption intention follows an “attitude–norm/control–intention” multiple mediation pathway, with subjective norm showing the strongest direct effect (β = 0.392). In universities with a light meal supply, supply–demand gaps across all six service dimensions are highly significant (p < 0.001), with taste and variety falling into the IPA improvement quadrant as core shortcomings. K-means clustering identifies three student groups in supplied universities (high-satisfaction loyal, differentiated rational, and low-satisfaction wait-and-see) and two in non-supplied universities (high-demand expectant and low-demand wait-and-see). The findings confirm that intrinsic health demands, rather than external supply conditions, are the core driver; peer effects are a key lever; taste and variety are the primary bottlenecks to repeat purchases; and student heterogeneity necessitates stratified strategies.