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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

David H. Petering, PhD¹, John Dellinger², Mary Beth Driscoll³, Tess Gallun⁴, Rick Haverkate⁵, Lo Neng Kiatoukaysy⁶, Peter McAvoy³, Stephen Percy⁷, and Alison Rostankowski⁴. (1) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, 414-229-5853, petering@uwm.edu, (2) Health Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, PO Box, Milwaukee, WI 53201, (3) Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, PO Box, Milwaukee, WI 53201, (4) Mass Communications Department, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, (5) Director of Health Services, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc., 2956 Ashmun Street, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783-3720, (6) Hmong American Friendship Association, PO Box, Milwaukee, WI 53201, (7) Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has formed partnerships with two ethnic communities in order to devise effective strategies to communicate the risks and benefits of consuming large quantities of fish caught in local waters. The immigrant Hmong and the Anishinaabe Native American tribal communities are heavy fish eaters. Both groups mostly consume fish from the Great Lakes Basin, which have significant concentrations of contaminants, including mercury and PCBs. It is important that these groups understand how to minimize the health risks from fish consumption. Collaborations with these communities have resulted in the production of two 20-minute videos that address this issue within the cultural context of each community. For example, the Hmong video, Below the Surface, uses a fishing expedition by a Hmong family to frame the important health issues, the types of fish that are preferable to eat, and the methods of preparation that minimize exposure to contaminants. A Hmong clan leader, a Hmong doctor, and an expert on fish consumption risk from the NIEHS Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center contribute to the content of the video. By comparing the collaborative process of developing the two videos, their content, and outcomes, this presentation will highlight the importance of using culturally appropriate methods of communicating these public health messages. Supported by NIH/NIEHS grant ES-011093.

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