PERCEIVED TIME PRESSURE AND RECOMMENDED DIETARY PRACTICES - THE MODERATING EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRITION

This study investigates the effects of perceived time pressure on adhe rence to recommended dietary practices (RDPs). Two potential moderator s of the negative effects of perceived time pressure on food behavior are investigated. These are (1) human capital including both knowledge of nutrition and years of formal education and (2) health risks perce ived to be associated with a poor diet. As hypothesized, perceived tim e pressure has a negative effect on adherence to RDPs. However, result s also demonstrate that knowledge of nutrition can mitigate the negati ve effects of perceived time pressure on food behavior. Specifically, when knowledge of nutrition is low, the relationship between perceived time pressure and RDPs is substantial and negative (-.79). In contras t, when knowledge of nutrition is high, the relationship between perce ived time pressure and RDPs is near zero. These results suggest that c onsumer education dealing with nutrition can help to offset negative e ffects of perceived time pressures on dietary practices.