Students Awareness of Healthy Eating Amid Budget Constraints: A Study of Students in Bandung
Abstract
Growing awareness of healthy eating among university students has not always been accompanied by healthy food selection behavior. Although many students understand the importance of nutrition, food choices are often influenced by economic considerations and the perceived affordability of healthy food. This study aims to examine the influence of concern for healthy food on healthy food selection and to investigate the moderating role of perceived affordable prices among university students in Bandung City. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data collected from active university students. The findings indicate that concern for healthy food plays an important role in encouraging students to choose healthier food options. Perceived affordable prices were also found to influence healthy food selection directly. However, price affordability did not strengthen or weaken the relationship between concern for healthy food and healthy food selection. These findings suggest that health concerns and price affordability operate independently in shaping students’ food choices. This study contributes to the growing literature on healthy food consumption behavior by providing evidence from the context of university students in Indonesia and highlighting the importance of both health awareness and food affordability in promoting healthier dietary choices.
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