Association between Online Food Delivery App Use and Dietary Quality among Working Adults in Urban India-An Analytical Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Online food delivery applications (OFDAs) have been a major feature of the urban food ecology in India, especially among working adults who tend to have hectic schedules. Even though these platforms are convenient, there are fears about the effect they have on the quality of diets. The subject of this study was to examine the patterns of using of the OFDA, its perceived availability of healthy food choices and their correlation with the quality of the dietary choices among the working adults in Indian cities.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based study was undertaken and was carried out between January and March 2025 among the working adults living in Tier-1 Ahmedabad. Students over the age of 25 years who had used OFDAs at least once a month were enlisted. There were convenient and snowball methods of sampling. A validated and structured questionnaire that measured sociodemographics, patterns of using OFDA, quality of diet with a modified Healthy Eating Index and perceptions of healthy food availability and safety were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, MannWhitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used. A p-value below 0.05 was found to be statistically significant.

Findings: 472 people took part in the survey, and 52.3% were frequent users of OFDA. More often than not, frequent users were older, lived alone and had higher incomes (P < 0.05). The most ordered was fast food (84.7%). Whereas 66.8 percent of them stated that they had tried to find healthier choices, most of the people struggled to find them (54.3%). An increased use of OFDA was linked with the poorer quality of the diet and higher snacking behaviour. Food choice was heavily influenced by price (74.1%), and food appearance (63.4%). Categorization of hygiene, packaging and temperature of meal played a big role in determining who would make an order.

Conclusion: The frequent use of OFDA by working adults might be the contributor of poor quality in food and unhealthy eating habits. Healthier food options and better health outcomes would be facilitated through increasing the visibility, affordability, and attractiveness of healthy foods on OFDAs.