IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v10y2013i5p1720-1734d25383.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Need for Improved Risk Communication of Fish Consumption Advisories to Protect Maternal and Child Health: Influence of Primary Informants

Author

Listed:
  • Catherine E. LePrevost

    (Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Box 7633, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA)

  • Kathleen M. Gray

    (UNC Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 137 E. Franklin Street, Suite 602, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Mercedes Hernández-Pelletier

    (Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, 1912 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699, USA)

  • Brennan D. Bouma

    (UNC Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 137 E. Franklin Street, Suite 602, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

  • Consuelo Arellano

    (Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Box 8203, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA)

  • W. Gregory Cope

    (Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Box 7633, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA)

Abstract

Fish consumption has established benefits, including the promotion of cardiovascular health and pre- and neonatal brain and eye development, but local freshwater fish may be a source of contaminants that are especially harmful to fetuses and young children, such as the neurotoxic and developmentally toxic methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. Fish consumption advisories may be issued by state health departments to limit human exposure to these and other toxicants. This study examined the efficacy of a sign designed by the North Carolina Division of Public Health that was posted along a reservoir (Badin Lake) in central North Carolina, USA, for increasing anglers’ awareness of a fish consumption advisory, with a special focus on anglers who share their catch with women and children. In this study, 109 anglers were interviewed about their awareness of fish consumption advisories in general and their knowledge of the Badin Lake fish advisory in particular. Shore anglers were significantly less likely to be aware of the term “fish consumption advisory” and of the specific advisory for Badin Lake than boat anglers. Although a significant increase in knowledge of the specific fish consumption advisory was found for the entire sample of study participants after the sign intervention, a commensurate increase in knowledge was not found for a subsample of anglers who reported sharing their catch with women and children. Study findings underscore differences in fish consumption advisory awareness among subpopulations. Specifically, the study revealed the importance of characterizing the communication needs of shore anglers and anglers who share their catch with sensitive subpopulations (e.g., women and children) for the creation of more targeted communications of fish consumption advisories.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine E. LePrevost & Kathleen M. Gray & Mercedes Hernández-Pelletier & Brennan D. Bouma & Consuelo Arellano & W. Gregory Cope, 2013. "Need for Improved Risk Communication of Fish Consumption Advisories to Protect Maternal and Child Health: Influence of Primary Informants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-15, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:5:p:1720-1734:d:25383
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/5/1720/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/5/1720/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joanna Burger & Melanie Hughes McDermott & Caron Chess & Eleanor Bochenek & Marla Perez‐Lugo & Kerry Kirk Pflugh, 2003. "Evaluating Risk Communication about Fish Consumption Advisories: Efficacy of a Brochure versus a Classroom Lesson in Spanish and English," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(4), pages 791-803, August.
    2. Joanna Burger & Sheila Shukla & Megan Fitzgerald & Suzie Flores & Caron Chess, 2008. "Fish consumption: efficacy among fishermen of a brochure developed for pregnant women," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(7), pages 891-904, October.
    3. Gochfeld, M. & Burger, J., 2011. "Disproportionate exposures in environmental justice and other populations: The importance of outliers," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(SUPPL. 1), pages 53-63.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adam D. DeWeese & Neil E. Kmiecik & Esteban D. Chiriboga & Jeffery A. Foran, 2009. "Efficacy of Risk‐Based, Culturally Sensitive Ogaa (Walleye) Consumption Advice for Anishinaabe Tribal Members in the Great Lakes Region," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 729-742, May.
    2. Gaurav Jha & Vanaja Kankarla & Everald McLennon & Suman Pal & Debjani Sihi & Biswanath Dari & Dawson Diaz & Mallika Nocco, 2021. "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems: Environmental Exposure and Human Health Risks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Bhar, Soumyajit & Lele, Sharachchandra & Min, Jihoon & Rao, Narasimha D., 2024. "Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    4. T. Bruce Lauber & Nancy A. Connelly & Jeff Niederdeppe & Barbara A. Knuth, 2018. "Effects of an Advisory Brochure on Fish Consumption of Urban Anglers in the Great Lakes Region," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(7), pages 1405-1421, July.
    5. Yuqin Jiao & Julie K. Bower & Wansoo Im & Nicholas Basta & John Obrycki & Mohammad Z. Al-Hamdan & Allison Wilder & Claire E. Bollinger & Tongwen Zhang & Luddie Sr. Hatten & Jerrie Hatten & Darryl B. H, 2015. "Application of Citizen Science Risk Communication Tools in a Vulnerable Urban Community," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-24, December.
    6. Lee, Eun Kyung & Donley, Gwendolyn & Ciesielski, Timothy H. & Gill, India & Yamoah, Owusua & Roche, Abigail & Martinez, Roberto & Freedman, Darcy A., 2022. "Health outcomes in redlined versus non-redlined neighborhoods: A systematic review and meta-analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    7. Stefka Fidanova & Petar Zhivkov & Olympia Roeva, 2022. "InterCriteria Analysis Applied on Air Pollution Influence on Morbidity," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-8, April.
    8. Haab, Timothy C. & Whitehead, John C. & Parsons, George R. & Price, Jammie, 2010. "Effects of information about invasive species on risk perception and seafood demand by gender and race," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 586-599, November.
    9. Moon Joon Kim & Xiaolin Xie & Xiaochen Zhang, 2021. "How Does an Environmental Amenity Attract Voluntary Migrants? Evidence from Ambient Air Quality in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-19, June.
    10. J. Paul Leavell, 2016. "Point redemption matters: A response to Murthi et al (2011)," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 298-307, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:5:p:1720-1734:d:25383. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.