Food choice determinants and perceptions of healthy eating and food safety among online food delivery application users in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Online food delivery applications (OFDAs) have fundamentally transformed dietary consumption patterns globally, yet their associations with food choice determinants, healthy-eating perceptions, and food safety concerns in Saudi Arabia remain incompletely characterized. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate OFDA usage patterns and their sociodemographic determinants; identify factors influencing food choices; assess perceptions of healthy food availability and food safety within OFDAs; and determine whether usage frequency was associated with body mass index (BMI) or dietary healthfulness. METHODS: A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted from February to April 2025 among Saudi residents aged ≥ 20 years who had used an OFDA at least once per month (n = 303). Sociodemographic associations with usage frequency were evaluated using chi-square tests; Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests assessed differences in perception across subgroups. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The sample was predominantly female (73.2%) and aged 20-29 years (70.5%), with 51.7% classified as frequent users (≥ 2-3 times/week). Usage frequency was significantly associated with region (p = 0.033) and monthly income (p = 0.023). Price (82.8%), food appearance (56.6%), and delivery timing (49.7%) were the primary determinants of food choice. HungerStation was the most-used platform (61.6%), followed by Jahez (53.3%). Despite 58.9% of participants reporting health-seeking intentions, fast food was the predominant choice (78.5%), revealing a prominent intention-behavior gap. Frequent OFDA users were more likely to report difficulty finding healthy options (p = 0.024), changed eating habits (p < 0.001), and increased appetite (p = 0.020). The overall food safety perception mean score was 3.90/5.00, with near-universal support for mandatory in-app displays of hygiene ratings (mean 4.56 ± 0.72). No significant associations were found between OFDA usage frequency and BMI (p = 0.659) or dietary healthfulness (p = 1.000). CONCLUSION: OFDAs are predominantly used to purchase energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods in Saudi Arabia, driven chiefly by price and convenience. Regulatory mandates for nutritional labeling, visibility of hygiene ratings, and algorithmic promotion of healthy options on OFDA platforms are urgently needed to improve population-level dietary behaviors.