Closing the distance: Is limited access to food stores a driver of intention to use online grocery shopping for older adults?

The loss of mobility among older adults can create significant barriers to grocery shopping, especially when combined with driving cessation and limited access to nearby food stores. While Online Grocery Shopping (OGS) may be a potential alternative to individuals living in food-poor environments, its adoption among older adults is modest. This study explores the relationship between indicators of access to food stores and intention for OGS in this population. We expect that greater perceived distances to primary food stores, lower accessibility to a variety of food stores, and residence in non-urban areas will each be positively associated with planning to use OGS. A survey collected during the winter of 2021 through an organization of older adults ( n = 811) is used to assess the factors shaping intention for OGS. Two logistic regressions and Pearson chi-squared tests help examine the contribution of access to groceries on OGS intention, while controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial determinants of OGS. The number and completeness of food store options within a ten-minute walk and the walking distance to respondents' primary food store are not significantly associated with planning to use OGS. Save for respondents in urban areas that are more likely to plan to use OGS, associations are concentrated on perceptions with respect to technologies, styles of shopping, and mobility issues. Recruitment via email ensures a baseline level of digital literacy; lower literacy in the population would potentially make older adults even less likely to trade poor access with OGS intention. Widespread availability of cars may make perceived walking distance less relevant to the attraction power of food stores. However, we find no sign that intention to use OGS may counter poor access to stores. If replication in other populations leads to similar results, this would undermine policy narratives that frame OGS as a viable solution to food access constraints for older adults aging in place.