{
  "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.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Economics and Management, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China",
    "School of Artificial Intelligence (School of Software), Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China",
    "Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
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      "name": "Hairu Zhang",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-3826-3398"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Baoqi Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiaxin Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yue Li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8hvz4r4qzh8g.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361891",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13730389/",
  "id": "d8hvz4r4qzh8g",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361891",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
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  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Asia"
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    [
      "heading",
      "Behavioral and Social Aspects of Health"
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      "heading",
      "Biology and Life Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "China"
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      "heading",
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    [
      "heading",
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      "heading",
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  "pmcid": "PMC13730389",
  "pmid": "42976133",
  "published": "2026-11-03",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8hvz4r4qzh8g.ris",
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    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T12:20:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0361891",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Biology and Life Sciences",
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    {
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      "origin": "heading:Public and Occupational Health",
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  "title": "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",
  "title_text": "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",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:22:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8hvz4r4qzh8g",
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