People who use takeaway apps such as Deliveroo and Just Eat are more likely to be obese, a study has found.
Those who use food apps are 84 per cent more likely to live with obesity, academics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have found.
Analysing data from households in London and the north of England, the team found that “unskilled” workers are more likely to use takeaway apps.
Higher-income families were more likely to have food delivered to their homes by Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, compared with those on lower incomes, The Times first reported.
The researchers said: ‘Use of takeaway food delivery apps was positively associated with living with obesity.
People who use takeaway apps such as Deliveroo and Just Eat are more likely to be obese, a study has found (File photo)
People who use takeaway apps like Deliveroo are 84 percent more likely to be obese, study finds (File photo)
‘The potential impact of increasing and differentiated use of online delivery services on diet and food inequalities warrants further research.’
The study was published in the journal BMJ Public Health.
The average overweight Briton costs the healthcare system at least £1,000 a year in healthcare costs, a major new analysis suggests.
But those considered very obese, with a body mass index above 40, cost the NHS around £5,000 a head due to weight-related health problems.
The study, conducted by Lane, Clark & Peacock (LCP), found that the problem appears to be growing over time.
The average annual cost of treating the most severely obese Britons has risen from £1,300 in 2015 to £1,900 in 2019, the latest year of the study.
This is thought to be because improvements in treatments have prolonged people’s lives, thus prolonging the need for care.
There is abundant evidence showing that obesity can increase the risk of a range of life-limiting diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and several types of cancer.