Factors associated with vending machine snacks choices in young adults

Abstract

Snacking is one potential factor associated with increased obesity among college students. Grab‐and‐go snacks, such as vending machine snacks are a primary snack source for college students, and are prevalent on several campuses; however, most items sold in vending machines are considered energy‐dense and high sugar. We assessed factors and reasons related to college students' snack choices. We administered a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) survey, using a Block Fractional Factorial Design, to 130 undergraduate students. With the DCE, we constructed several hypothetical snack choices, each of which featured a combination of four snack attributes, including price, convenience, taste, and healthfulness. The prices were set at “$1.25,” “$2.50,” or “$3.75.” Convenience (time to get snacks) was categorized as “1 minute,” “3 minute,” or “5 minutes or more.” Taste was described as “sufficient,” “good,” or “very good.” Healthfulness was labeled as “unhealthy,” “neutral,” or “healthy.” The data was analyzed using the multinomial logit model. The results indicated that college students choose snacks primarily based on healthfulness (Odds Ratio [OR] 6.209; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.435–7.093), followed by price (OR 0.452; CI 0.403–0.506), taste (OR 1.565; CI 1.403–1.746), and convenience (OR 0.717; CI 0.642–0.801), respectively. The findings suggest that college students do prioritize healthful/nutrient‐dense snack choices, and that changing the vending machine snack composition to more nutritious options may create a healthy food environment on the campus, and subsequently improve college students' snacking choices and behaviors and reduce weight gain at university level.Support or Funding Information1) “Big Data Discovery and Diversity through Research Education Advancement and Partnerships (BD3‐REAP)” Project funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH)‐R25; Grant number is 1R25MD010397‐01.2) “Understanding how nutrition/food labeling of snacks found in vending machines effects college students' purchasing decisions” Project funded by a 2016–17 Junior/Senior Intramural Research Award from California State University, Fullerton; Grant account number is 0355416.