Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy

Drone food delivery (DFD) services are expected to become widely available in the not-too-distant future, potentially increasing unhealthy food accessibility and consumption. This study aimed to explore likely uptake rates and identify population segments that are most likely to use these services....

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Main Authors: Victoria Farrar, Leon Booth, Xiaoqi Feng, Simone Pettigrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Critical Public Health
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2514170
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author Victoria Farrar
Leon Booth
Xiaoqi Feng
Simone Pettigrew
author_facet Victoria Farrar
Leon Booth
Xiaoqi Feng
Simone Pettigrew
author_sort Victoria Farrar
collection DOAJ
description Drone food delivery (DFD) services are expected to become widely available in the not-too-distant future, potentially increasing unhealthy food accessibility and consumption. This study aimed to explore likely uptake rates and identify population segments that are most likely to use these services. An online survey was completed by 1078 Australian adults in January 2023. Respondents viewed a scenario describing a world in which DFD services are readily available and asked whether they anticipated using them. A health composite score was calculated based on whether participants met recommended levels for vegetable and fruit consumption and physical activity. Descriptive analyses were conducted, and a binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intentions to use DFD services. Thirteen percent of participants reported intending to use these services, with greater intentions found among younger respondents, those with lower health composite scores, and those who currently use (vs. do not use) fast food delivery services. Policy preparedness is vital before DFD services become commonplace and potentially unhealthy habits are formed. Timely regulatory measures are likely to be necessary to mitigate any potential negative public health consequences.
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spelling doaj-art-85f3e4e19606428d9ba3bcb13d999e662025-08-20T03:10:09ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCritical Public Health0958-15961469-36822025-12-0135110.1080/09581596.2025.2514170Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policyVictoria Farrar0Leon Booth1Xiaoqi Feng2Simone Pettigrew3The George Institute for Global Health, Barangaroo, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, Barangaroo, AustraliaSchool of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, AustraliaThe George Institute for Global Health, Barangaroo, AustraliaDrone food delivery (DFD) services are expected to become widely available in the not-too-distant future, potentially increasing unhealthy food accessibility and consumption. This study aimed to explore likely uptake rates and identify population segments that are most likely to use these services. An online survey was completed by 1078 Australian adults in January 2023. Respondents viewed a scenario describing a world in which DFD services are readily available and asked whether they anticipated using them. A health composite score was calculated based on whether participants met recommended levels for vegetable and fruit consumption and physical activity. Descriptive analyses were conducted, and a binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intentions to use DFD services. Thirteen percent of participants reported intending to use these services, with greater intentions found among younger respondents, those with lower health composite scores, and those who currently use (vs. do not use) fast food delivery services. Policy preparedness is vital before DFD services become commonplace and potentially unhealthy habits are formed. Timely regulatory measures are likely to be necessary to mitigate any potential negative public health consequences.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2514170Drone food deliveryfast foodmeal delivery appspublic healthearly adopters
spellingShingle Victoria Farrar
Leon Booth
Xiaoqi Feng
Simone Pettigrew
Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
Critical Public Health
Drone food delivery
fast food
meal delivery apps
public health
early adopters
title Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
title_full Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
title_fullStr Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
title_full_unstemmed Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
title_short Identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
title_sort identifying early adopters of drone food delivery services to inform public health policy
topic Drone food delivery
fast food
meal delivery apps
public health
early adopters
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2514170
work_keys_str_mv AT victoriafarrar identifyingearlyadoptersofdronefooddeliveryservicestoinformpublichealthpolicy
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AT simonepettigrew identifyingearlyadoptersofdronefooddeliveryservicestoinformpublichealthpolicy