[Podcast] Analysis of factors affecting food purchase intention UEH Mekong students

3 March, 2025

Keywords: Food purchase intention, Consumer behavior, Student preferences, Health awareness, Environmental concerns.

Students’ food consumption behavior has become a topic of interest in the context of green and healthy living trends. In the current study, the researchers from Vinh Long Campus of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH Mekong) identified five main factors affecting students’ food purchase intention: environmental impact, food quality, health, convenience and price. Utilizing data from 230 students and advanced analysis methods as follows: Cronbach’s Alpha, EFA and regression. The study helps to better understand student shopping behavior and provides strategic suggestions for businesses in developing products and services to meet the needs of this young, potential customer group.

Challenges and factors shaping student food purchase behavior

In the university environment, students often face many challenges in making food purchase decisions as follows: limited budgets, lack of time to prepare meals and limited nutritional knowledge. These factors lead to a preference for cheap, easily accessible foods, but also the potential risk of consuming a lot of processed and fast foods. This type of foods lacks nutritional value and can cause long-term negative effects on health.

In addition, the awareness of the environmental impact of food production and consumption has not been fully addressed, making sustainability factors not carefully considered by the students when they choose food. At the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh Long Campus (UEH Mekong), these food consumption habits reflect the general situation of university students today, especially in the context of limited time and lack of nutritional knowledge.

In order to protect consumer health, the Vietnamese Government has issued many important policies, including Decree 15/2018/ND-CP, focusing on improving food quality management. These regulations are to ensure safety in production and processing, and to build a safer food consumption environment contributing to improving public health, especially for students.

In this context, the research team aimed to identify and to evaluate factors affecting students’ food purchasie decisions, including health, quality, price, environment and convenience. Drawing on the quantitative method, data were collected through a structured questionnaire, combined with a multivariate regression model to test the research hypotheses.

The results are expected to contribute to clarifying students’ food purchase behavior and providing a theoretical basis for marketing strategies and product development to satisfy the needs and consumption habits of young customers. On that account, the study opens up a new direction to improve the quality of life and health of students while promoting sustainability in food consumption.

Factors affecting students’ food purchase intentions

In the present study, the authors propose 5 main factors affecting students’ food purchase intentions at Vinh Long Branch.

First, health concerns: Students are increasingly paying attention to the nutritional benefits of food, especially products that support a healthy lifestyle. Health consciousness has a profound influence on consumer decisions, with the trend of choosing organic and nutritious foods becoming more popular.

Second, food quality: This factor includes not only nutritional value but also taste, freshness and attractive appearance. Sensory quality plays an important role in creating consumer loyalty to food products.

Third, price: This is a decisive factor, especially for students with limited budgets. Research shows that affordable prices will promote shopping behavior although sometimes students are willing to pay more for higher quality products if they are financially capable.

Fourth, environmental concerns: This factor is more prominent as consumers become more aware of the impact of food on the ecosystem. Preference for environmentally friendly products and sustainable production processes has been a popular trend.

Fifth, convenience: With a busy lifestyle, students often prioritize products that are easy to prepare and quickly accessible. Convenient products not only save time but also meet the practical needs of students.

Research Model

Based on the above factors, the researchers have built and developed a research model drawn on the theoretical foundation of Wee et al. (2014), along with additional factors from Steptoe et al. (1995), Sivathanu (2015), and Rai & Raj (2018). The model includes two additional factors: perceived value of price and convenience.

Research results

Data analysis indicated that environmental concerns were the most influential factor on students’ food purchase intentions, surpassing traditional factors such as quality and health. The remaining factors, including convenience and price, had a lower impact but have been playing an important role in consumption decisions.

Implications and policies inferred from the study

The study contributes theoretically and also brings clear practical value. In theory, the study improves the understanding of consumer behavior, especially the factors affecting students’ food purchase intention. In practice, the findings provide a basis for developing targeted marketing strategies, proposing policy recommendations to improve food quality control, increasing food safety awareness among students, and contributing to improving public health and education.

Based on the analysis results, the Beta coefficients in the regression model demonstrated the varied levels of influence of each factor on food purchase intention, environmental concerns (strongest influence), quality, health, convenience, and finally price, respectively. With these results, the authors suggest the following specific policy implications:

First is to increase environmental awareness: Communications and education strategies should emphasize the importance of environmental protection in food consumption. Environmental education programs should be implemented more strongly in educational institutions, especially in universities.

Second is to improve food quality: Food suppliers should focus on improving product quality to meet students’ needs while implementing food safety measures to minimize health risks.

Third is to encourage healthy food choices: Businesses should provide healthy, accessible and convenient food options for students. Marketing campaigns can focus on the health benefits of consuming fresh and safe food.

Fourth is to improve convenience in food shopping: Online shopping or home delivery can help students save time and effort, encouraging them to make better food choices.

Fifth is to maintain reasonable prices: Price is being an important factor for students when deciding to buy food. Businesses need to research and provide products with reasonable prices for students’ budgets.

These recommendations will help improve food consumption behavior among students and contribute to improving the effectiveness of business strategies, public policies and education in the field of food safety.

The full-text research article on Factors affecting students’ food purchase intention at Vinh Long Campus can be accessed HERE.

Authors: Phan Thi Thuy Kieu, Vo Thanh Truc, Le Thi Hong Gam, Nguyen Ngoc Tuan – University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.

Celebrating the 5th anniversary of UEH Mekong and moving towards a new journey – an article series spreading research and applied knowledge with the message “For a More Sustainable Mekong” has officially been launched with the goal of spreading knowledge and contributing to the sustainable development of the Mekong.

This article is also part the series spreading research and applied knowledge from UEH with the message “Research Contribution For All”. UEH cordially invites readers to read the next UEH Research Insights newsletter.

News, photos: The authors, UEH Mekong Department of Admissions – Communications, UEH Department of Communications and Partnerships

Audio: Thanh Kieu