A cross-sectional study on online food delivery applications (OFDAs) in the United Arab Emirates: use and perceptions of healthy food availability among university students.

IF 2.4 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS
Journal of Nutritional Science Pub Date : 2024-10-10 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.1017/jns.2024.21
Leila Cheikh Ismail, Tareq M Osaili, Bayan Shanan, Dana Rashwan, Hulya Merie, Leen Rishan, Salam Al Shamma, Zaina AlRamahi, Sheima T Saleh, Maysm N Mohamad, Asma' O Taybeh, Rameez Al Daour, Sadi Taha, Lily Stojanovska, Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh, Ayesha S Al Dhahei
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Abstract

Online food delivery applications (OFDAs) have seen a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 Pandemic, particularly among young adults. This study aimed to assess the use of OFDAs and the perception of food healthiness and safety among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in the UAE via snowball sampling (n = 1096). Sociodemographic characteristics, OFDAs usage, and perceptions toward food healthiness and safety were investigated. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the association between categorical variables and healthy food choices. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to determine differences between different groups and perception statements. Over half (52%) of the students were frequent users of OFDAs with fast food being the most popular choice (88.4%). Older participants, those living in the university dorms, and those with higher allowances used the OFDAs more frequently (P < 0.05). Price (78.0%) and food appearance (65.7%) had the highest impact on food selection. Most subjects (69.3%) reported looking for healthy food but were worried about affordability (43.1%) and taste (27.1%). Most participants (57.8%) agreed that OFDAs increased their appetite and food intake. Participants believed that having a hygiene rating system in OFDAs would give them the chance to make informed decisions (82.3%). Unhealthy food options were popular among university students. The study highlights the need to provide more affordable and appealing healthy food options and suggests that improved nutrition information and hygiene standards could help to promote healthy food choices among university students.

阿拉伯联合酋长国在线食品配送应用程序(OFDAs)横断面研究:大学生对健康食品供应的使用和看法。
在线食品配送应用程序(OFDAs)在 COVID-19 大流行期间大受欢迎,尤其是在年轻人中。本研究旨在评估阿拉伯联合酋长国(UAE)大学生对在线食品配送应用程序的使用情况以及对食品健康和安全的看法。通过滚雪球式抽样(n = 1096),在阿联酋的大学生中开展了一项基于网络的横断面研究。研究调查了社会人口特征、OFDA 的使用情况以及对食品健康和安全的看法。采用卡方分析确定分类变量与健康食品选择之间的关系。Mann-Whitney U 和 Kruskal-Wallis H 检验用于确定不同群体和认知陈述之间的差异。超过一半(52%)的学生经常使用开放式自助餐厅,其中快餐是最受欢迎的选择(88.4%)。年龄较大、住在大学宿舍和津贴较高的参与者更经常使用开放式自助餐厅(P < 0.05)。价格(78.0%)和食物外观(65.7%)对食物选择的影响最大。大多数受试者(69.3%)表示要寻找健康食品,但担心负担能力(43.1%)和口味(27.1%)。大部分受访者(57.8%)同意开放式食物局能增加他们的食欲和食物摄入量。參加者認為在自助售賣機設立衞生評級制度可讓他們作出明智的決定(82.3%)。不健康的食物在大学生中很受欢迎。这项研究强调,有必要提供更多经济实惠、更具吸引力的健康食品选择,并建议改善营养信息和卫生标准,有助于促进大学生选择健康食品。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of Nutritional Science
Journal of Nutritional Science NUTRITION & DIETETICS-
CiteScore
3.00
自引率
0.00%
发文量
91
审稿时长
7 weeks
期刊介绍: Journal of Nutritional Science is an international, peer-reviewed, online only, open access journal that welcomes high-quality research articles in all aspects of nutrition. The underlying aim of all work should be, as far as possible, to develop nutritional concepts. JNS encompasses the full spectrum of nutritional science including public health nutrition, epidemiology, dietary surveys, nutritional requirements, metabolic studies, body composition, energetics, appetite, obesity, ageing, endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, microbiology, genetics, molecular and cellular biology and nutrigenomics. JNS welcomes Primary Research Papers, Brief Reports, Review Articles, Systematic Reviews, Workshop Reports, Letters to the Editor and Obituaries.
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