Consumer support for restrictive policies on unhealthy food and beverage delivery via drones

Victoria Farrar; Leon Booth; Xiaoqi Feng; Jason Thompson; Branislava Godic; Rajith Vidanaarachchi; Simone Pettigrew

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (Dec 2024)

Consumer support for restrictive policies on unhealthy food and beverage delivery via drones

Victoria Farrar,
Leon Booth,
Xiaoqi Feng,
Jason Thompson,
Branislava Godic,
Rajith Vidanaarachchi,
Simone Pettigrew

Affiliations

Victoria Farrar: The George Institute for Global Health, Level 18, International Towers 3, 300 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia; University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Correspondence to: Victoria Farrar, The George Institute for Global Health, Level 18, International Towers 3, 300 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia; Tel.: +61 2 8052 4300
Leon Booth: The George Institute for Global Health, Level 18, International Towers 3, 300 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia; University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Xiaoqi Feng: University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Jason Thompson: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Branislava Godic: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Rajith Vidanaarachchi: Melbourne School of Design, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Simone Pettigrew: The George Institute for Global Health, Level 18, International Towers 3, 300 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia; University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 48, no. 6
p. 100193

Abstract

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Objective: Drone delivery services are set to increase unhealthy food and alcohol accessibility. The aim of this study was to evaluate public receptiveness to various options for regulating drone food and beverage deliveries and to identify sociodemographic differences in receptiveness. Methods: In total, 1079 adults were surveyed to assess total support and differences in support between population subgroups (e.g. age, sex, location, existing habits) for nine potential drone policies covering curfews, quotas, and product bans. Support was measured on five-point agreement scales, with mean individual policy support (M) and grand mean support calculated for all assessed policies (grand M). Results: There was moderate support for all assessed policies (grand M=3.5), ranging from M=3.2 (drone delivery quotas for shopping centres and dwellings) to M=3.7 (night curfews, airspace quotas). Factors associated with policy support were older age, metropolitan residence and using grocery delivery services. Conclusions: Public support exists for policies designed to restrict drone food and beverage deliveries. Implications for public health: Drone food and beverage delivery policies will likely be supported by the public and could assist in controlling the accessibility of such products for the benefit of population dietary health.

Published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

ISSN: 1326-0200 (Print); 1753-6405 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/australian-and-new-zealand-journal-of-public-health

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