# Construction of an Evaluation System for Big Food Concept Education and Its Behavioral Impact Mechanism Among College Students—An Empirical Study Based on a Survey of Students

## TL;DR

This study evaluates how teaching college students about food security affects their behavior, using a survey and analysis of 1268 students in China.

## Contribution

A novel four-dimensional evaluation system for Big Food Concept education and its behavioral impact mechanism is developed and validated.

## Key findings

- College students' understanding of the Big Food Concept is moderate, with low awareness of diversified food systems.
- The behavioral dimension is the most weighted in the evaluation system (0.342), followed by cognitive (0.287), value (0.221), and affective (0.150).
- Value internalization has the strongest mediating effect (β = 0.413) in shaping student behavior through education.

## Abstract

Education on the Big Food Concept, as a strategic framework for ensuring national food security and promoting high-quality agricultural development, represents a key nexus between ideological and political education and quality-oriented education for college students. Based on survey data from 1268 students across six provinces in China, this study utilized the Delphi method, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop a four-dimensional evaluation system encompassing cognitive, affective, value, and behavioral dimensions. It examined the relationship and underlying mechanism through which Big Food Concept education influences student behavior. The results indicate that college students’ overall understanding of the Big Food Concept remains at a moderate level, with particularly limited awareness of diversified food supply systems. The weights of the dimensions in the educational evaluation system were as follows: behavioral dimension (0.342) > cognitive dimension (0.287) > value dimension (0.221) > affective dimension (0.150). Big Food Concept education shapes student behavior through the sequential pathway of cognitive enlightenment, affective resonance, and value internalization, with value internalization demonstrating the strongest mediating effect (β = 0.413, p < 0.001). The evaluation system developed in this study is a practical tool for assessing the effectiveness of Big Food Concept education in higher institutions, while the identified mechanism provides a theoretical basis for implementing targeted educational practices.