BackgroundUse of ultra-processed foods has expanded rapidly over the last decades and high consumption has been positively associated with risk of e.g. overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Ultra-processed foods offer convenience as they require minimal time for preparation. It is therefore reasonable to assume that such foods are consumed more often among people who experience time scarcity. The main aim of this study was to investigate the association between time scarcity and consumption of ultra-processed foods among parents of 2-year olds in Norway. A secondary aim was to investigate the association between sociodemographic correlates, weight status and consumption of ultra-processed foods.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 497 participants. Chi-square and cross tabulations were used to calculate proportions of high vs. low consumption of ultra-processed foods in relation to time scarcity, sociodemographic correlates and weight status. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to test the relationship between independent variables and consumption of ultra-processed foods.ResultsParticipants reporting medium and high time scarcity were more likely to have a high consumption of ultra-processed dinner products (OR = 3. 68, 95% CI = 2. 32–5.84 and OR = 3.10, 1.80–5.35, respectively) and fast foods (OR = 2.60, 1.62–4.18 and OR = 1.90, 1.08–3.32, respectively) compared to those with low time scarcity. Further, participants with medium time scarcity were more likely to have a high consumption of snacks and soft drinks compared to participants with low time scarcity (OR = 1.63, 1.06–2.49). Finally, gender, ethnicity, educational level, number of children in the household and weight status were identified as important factors associated with the consumption of certain types of ultra-processed foods.ConclusionsResults from the present study showed that time scarcity, various sociodemographic factors and weight status was associated with consumption of processed foods. Future studies with a longitudinal design are needed to further explore these patterns over a longer period of time.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4408-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Purpose Perceived effectiveness of nudging has been established as one of the most reliable predictors of acceptance of nudging. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how source credibility and argument strength influence the perceived effectiveness of textual information about food-related nudging in order to provide a better understanding of how acceptance of nudging may be facilitated. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 scenario-based between-subjects factorial experiment with source credibility (high vs low) and argument strength (high vs low) as factors was applied. Data on respondents’ level of involvement in food-related behaviour were also collected. Findings Argument strength had a positive main effect on the perceived effectiveness of nudging, and there was a significant positive interaction effect of source credibility × argument strength on the perceived effectiveness of nudging. Practical implications The findings of this paper provide policy makers and other decision makers with a better understanding of how information about nudging should be communicated to consumers in order to facilitate acceptance. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to investigate how information about nudging should be communicated to consumers in order for nudging to be perceived as an effective and thus acceptable measure to influence food-related behaviour.