{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T17:54:53Z","timestamp":1772733293930,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,8]],"date-time":"2021-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1631059200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vending machines (VMs) have been identified as an obesogenic factor, offering mainly energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods, with limited healthy options available. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess consumption trends and attitude toward vending machine (VM) foods in a university setting. A web-based survey was conducted among 1250 students and staff. Most participants reported weight gain (43.4%) and poorer food choices (53.4%) since joining the university. Participants described VM foods as expensive (53.7%) and lacking variety (34.3%). Over 81% demanded the availability of healthier options. About 75% of participants were VMs users. The most frequently purchased VM items were water, chocolate, and chips. Males reported consuming nuts, soda, iced tea, and energy drinks more frequently than females (p &lt; 0.005). The main reasons for using the VM were hunger and lack of time. Over 40% nominated fresh fruits, baked chips, sandwiches, and dry roasted nuts to be provided in the VMs as healthier food options. Males and those responsible for buying their own food were more likely to select healthier options (p = 0.001). Findings can be used to inform stakeholders of current vending behaviors and to plan tailored interventions to improve the nutritional quality of vended items and promote healthier food choices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods10092122","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,8]],"date-time":"2021-09-08T10:12:03Z","timestamp":1631095923000},"page":"2122","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Consumption, Attitudes, and Trends of Vending Machine Foods at a University Campus: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5580-1911","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hayder","family":"Hasan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7970-2616","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Moez Al-Islam E.","family":"Faris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6396-6625","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maysm N.","family":"Mohamad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7634-3531","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ayesha S.","family":"Al Dhaheri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mona","family":"Hashim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lily","family":"Stojanovska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates"},{"name":"Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne 14428, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rameez","family":"Al Daour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Malak","family":"Rashid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lena","family":"El-Farra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Azza","family":"Alsuwaidi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Heba","family":"Altawfiq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zainab","family":"Erwa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3048-7481","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leila","family":"Cheikh Ismail","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates"},{"name":"Nuffield Department of Women\u2019s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"36","article-title":"Obesity: An Emerging Threat","volume":"29","author":"Hill","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. 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