Factors Associated with Food Delivery App use Among Young Adults

Food delivery apps are popular among young adults and often used to purchase calorie-dense foods. Limited research exists on the use of food delivery apps among young adults. The purpose of this study was to describe food delivery app use among young adults and examine the correlates of food delivery app use. Data are from a panel of U.S. young adults aged 18-25 (n = 1,576) who completed an online survey between January-April 2022. Participants were 51.8% female and 39.3% identified as non-Hispanic white, 24.4% as Hispanic/Latinx, 29.6% as non-Hispanic Black, and 6.8% as another race/ethnicity. Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between food delivery app use and age, race, ethnicity, sex, SES, food insecurity, living arrangement, financial responsibility, and full-time student status. Young adults used food delivery apps approximately twice a week. Participants who identified as non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latinx used food delivery apps more frequently than participants who identified as white. Having higher perceived subjective social status, food insecurity, financial responsibility, and being a full-time student were significantly associated with using food delivery apps more frequently. Living with someone else was associated with using food delivery apps less frequently. This study provides a first step in understanding the characteristics of young adults who use food delivery apps. Given that food delivery apps are a new technology that can both increase access to unhealthy food options as well as healthy food options, further research is needed to better understand the types of food purchased through food delivery apps.

Automated summary

Food delivery apps are popular among young adults, who often use them to order calorie-dense foods. This study examined the use of food delivery apps among young adults and found that they used the apps approximately twice a week. The study also identified that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latinx participants used food delivery apps more frequently. Furthermore, factors such as perceived subjective social status, food insecurity, financial responsibility, and full-time student status were associated with higher frequency of food delivery app use.