Prevalence of Use of Mobile Food Delivery Services During School Hours in the United States: Survey Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Federal and state school nutrition policies over the past 20 years have improved school meal nutritional quality, children’s diet quality, and childhood obesity prevalence in the United States. However, increasing use of mobile food delivery apps during school hours may introduce new dietary risks among adolescents. Objective This study aimed to assess adolescents’ usage patterns of, and perceptions toward, mobile food delivery during school hours in the United States. Methods We administered a national online survey in July to August 2025 using the AmeriSpeak Teen Omnibus platform operated by NORC at the University of Chicago. The respondents were 1027 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. We estimated and statistically compared survey-weighted distributions of self-reported types and frequencies of mobile food app usage characteristics during and after school by age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income levels, and regional strata usingtests. We also conducted thematic analyses of responses to an open-ended question asking why participants supported or opposed the use of mobile food delivery services during school hours. Results Nearly 1 in 4 adolescents have used mobile food delivery services during school hours, and nearly half used them after school. Large proportions of adolescents used these services to order fast food (58.8%) and sugar-sweetened beverages (34.1%), while grain bowls, fruit, non–deep-fried vegetables, and unsweetened beverages were less popular. About 34.0% of adolescents in the western United States attended schools that allowed mobile food delivery during school hours, a substantially higher proportion than other national regions; however, adolescents in the West more frequently cited the perceived high costs as the reason for not using those services. Nearly half of the respondents (47.2%) supported the idea of mobile food delivery during school hours. However, distraction from their learning environment was a major concern regardless of their support or opposition to mobile food delivery at school. Conclusions Mobile food delivery during school hours is a relatively new method of food acquisition for adolescent students. School nutrition policy should consider students’ access to and usage patterns of both physical and digital food environments to help ensure the development of lifelong healthy eating habits among adolescents.