Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111523

May Lynn Tan, MHS¹, Sun Hyung Lee, MPH¹, Samira S. Jones, MPH², Jessica Kaslow, MS, MPH¹, Alyce Ujihara, MA¹, Diana Lee, MPH, RD¹, and Erica Weis, MPH¹. (1) Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Health Services, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700, Oakland, CA 94612, 510-622-4470, MTan@dhs.ca.gov, (2) Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Meyer Hall, Davis, CA 95616

Due to elevated levels of mercury, PCBs, dioxins, and other contaminants in California water bodies, multiple, site-specific state health advisories have been issued to inform anglers and the general public about safe consumption levels for fish caught in affected water bodies. In Northern California, fishing is a common activity for both recreational and subsistence purposes, particularly among recent immigrants from Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union, as well as in Native Americans and Latino communities. Within these communities, women of childbearing age and young children are the groups most vulnerable to the effects of fish contamination, while most fishing is done by men. The California Department of Health Services, through prior needs assessment and survey activities, has determined that many of these populations have a limited awareness and understanding of fish advisories. Evidence indicates that to be effective, health promotion should incorporate not just language and literacy skills, but cultural beliefs and attitudes. As a state health agency, CDHS' Environmental Health Investigations Branch strives to ensure that communities at risk are able to access and utilize health advisory information in a culturally relevant way. Through multiple methods, including focus group sessions, interviews, observations, and community collaborations, CDHS has worked to identify attitudes toward fish, health, and the environment that are embedded in Russian, Southeast Asian, Latino, and other cultures. These are used in conjunction with on-going community participation to create and implement innovative ways of presenting advisory information to consumers of fish.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• Recognize ways in which cultural attitudes affect perceptions of risk from consuming contaminated fish.
• Identify opportunities and methods for exploring cultural attitudes about environmental health hazards.

Keywords: Cultural Competency, Risk Communication

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation