Which snack factors and nutritional ingredients influence college students' snack choices? Evidence from discrete choice experiments.

The study examined which snack factors and nutritional ingredients influence college students' snack choices using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). In November 2016, a total of 1,624 undergraduate students participated in the study. Two DCEs were constructed using a unique approach of block fractional factorial designs. The first DCE examined four three-level snack factors: healthiness, taste, convenience, and price. The second DCE focused on six two-level nutritional ingredients: sugar, salt, calories, fat, all natural, and fiber. Students preferred quick and cheap snacks, but higher prices on healthy snacks did not affect their decision significantly. Healthiness and sugar had the highest relative importance of snack factors and nutritional ingredients, respectively. High-sugar snacks were less favored if students considered themselves educated in nutrition. Thus, potential ways to improve the snack choices for college students are to offer healthier snacks on college campuses and to promote nutrition education.