Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41620664›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2026

Meal delivery platform use in adults living in Belgium: a qualitative investigation into motivations for and experiences of ordering online.

Matthew Keeble, Laura H Oostenbach, Thomas Vanoutrive, Maartje Poelman, Wendy Van Lippevelde, Carlijn Bm Kamphuis, Lukar Thornton

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Matthew KeebleDepartment of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. Matthew.Keeble@uantwerpen.be.
Laura H OostenbachDepartment of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Thomas VanoutriveResearch Group for Urban Development, Faculty of Design Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Maartje PoelmanDepartment of Social Sciences, Chair Group Consumption & Healthy Lifestyles, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Wendy Van LippeveldeDepartment of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Carlijn Bm KamphuisDepartment of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Lukar ThorntonDepartment of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

Funding

Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G080823N
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMeal delivery platforms are well-established in many urban areas worldwide, including Belgium. The increased access to meals prepared out-of-home that these services provide has contributed to international public health concern. Understanding consumers’ lived-experiences of meal delivery platform use will help inform the possible development of approaches to limit detrimental impacts on health and capitalise on opportunities to provide support.

methodsBetween November 2024 and March 2025, we completed 29 in-person interviews with adults who order from meal delivery platforms, living across the Flanders and Brussels regions of Belgium. We investigated motivations for, and experiences of, online ordering and used reflexive thematic analysis to generate themes.

resultsThe adults in our research reported that they use meal delivery platforms in place of cooking or leaving home to counter work-related fatigue and low mental resource availability. Effortless purchasing processes alongside diverse cuisine availability allow cravings to be easily satisfied. Moreover, an overabundance of promotional offers reinforces the normality of ordering unhealthy meals online. Choosing delivery also allows time and effort otherwise spent cooking to be reallocated to work-related tasks and leisure activities. Purchasing additional items to have leftovers for later meals is one strategy to maximise value.

conclusionsWe contribute to a growing evidence base showing that meal delivery platform development is shifting consumer food practices and preferences, meaning that these services present modern-day challenges for diet and health. Our findings enhance knowledge from existing quantitative evidence and can be used to guide forward-thinking strategies to promote healthier food practices in a digital era.

Indexed as

Consumer BehaviorInternetMealsMotivationAdultBelgiumCookingDigital MediaFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchConsumer behaviourDigital food environmentFast foodMeal deliveryPublic health

Identifiers

PMID41620664
PMCPMC12947418

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.