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

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.