Fast food is also more popular in Vietnam recently, especially among teenagers (college students). However, its consumption has often been associated with negative influence on nutrition and health. This research studied about current fast food consumption status among college students. The study also explored determinants which impact fast food consumption by applying extended Theory of Planned Behavior with additional variable Actual Behavior included: Past Behavior (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993) and Price sensitivity (Hsieh and Chang, 2004). The consumers were interviewed using a designed questionnaire with multiple regression analysis method and SPSS 16.0 software. A total 306 students (45.4% boys) were recruited from college schools in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. As expected, fast food consumption was considered to be an occasion to meet friends on special days rather than part of an everyday meal. Besides that, consumers used fast food to be snack rather than main meal. The extended Theory of Planned Behavior also effectively explained fast food consumption behaviors with relatively R2 around 0.54. Multiple regression analyses showed that behavioral intention to fast food consumption was significantly related to perceived behavioral control (b=0.147, P<0.001) and Past experiences (b=0.134, p<0.001). However, Attitudes toward fast food consumption, Subjective Norm and Price sensitivity were not significantly associated with behavioral intentions. Through this study, suppliers can identify the characteristics of consumers to fast food besides a potential market for western-style convenience foods like Vietnam. The suppliers also can get an understanding of the modernization trends in Vietnam consumption patterns to create new and unique products with safe, high nutrient that cater to consumers who care about their health.
