What to know
- Presentation Day/Time: Tuesday, April 22, 1:20–2:45 pm
- Presenter: Elizabeth Polter, PhD, MPH, EIS officer assigned to the Wisconsin Department of Health Service, Division of Public Health, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health
What did we do?
- Prenatal exposure to persistent environmental contaminants from fish consumption can lead to adverse neurological and developmental outcomes, and higher contaminant levels in Milwaukee-area sportfish may increase risk for Asian communities where fish consumption is culturally significant. To inform culturally appropriate interventions, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to describe fish consumption habits and assess fish advisory awareness among Asian women of childbearing age (WCBA).
What did we find?
- Participants – which included 52 Hmong, 52 Karen, 37 Chinese, and 12 Filipino WCBA – reported consuming a median of 11 Wisconsin sportfish (e.g., carp) and 24 store-purchased fish (e.g., tilapia) meals annually.
- Overall, few participants were aware of local (29, 19%), state (39, 25%), or federal (34, 22%) fish consumption advisories.
- Seventy-one (46%) had consumed ≥1 sport-caught or store-purchased meal at levels above an advisory for that species. Most reported consuming fish parts that can increase contaminant exposure, including the skin (132, 86%) or head (119, 78%).
Why does it matter?
- Most participants were unaware of government advisories, and most participants reported fish consumption exceeding advised levels.
- Reaching Milwaukee's heterogeneous Asian communities with culturally appropriate educational materials about safe fish consumption might reduce prenatal exposure to persistent environmental contaminants.
Abstract Category: Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health