A fish consumption study of anglers in an at risk community: A community based participatory approach

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a community-partnered risk communication intervention tailored for sustenance anglers in a public housing community. Design and sample: A one group, pre-test, post-test design was used to test the effectiveness of the intervention in a sample (n=23, age range 18-75 years, 100% African American) of sustenance anglers residing in a public housing community in close proximity to a Superfund clean up site. Face to face surveys were conducted at baseline and three months post the intervention to assess changes in knowledge and behaviors. Intervention: A socio-culturally appropriate risk communication intervention was developed, implemented and evaluated in the targeted community. The risk communication included an interactive power point presentation, visual demonstration by role model, and distribution of low literate written materials followed by a booster mailing of materials one month past the initial intervention. Evaluation measures included survey instruments on knowledge and self-reported fishing behaviors. Results: Participants showed improved knowledge and behavior change related to trimming fish, consumption by pregnant women and children, and consumption of large fish. Conclusions: The socio-cultured tailored risk communication intervention demonstrated promising outcomes in this community and should be evaluated in a larger population of sustenance anglers.

Learning Objectives:

1.Describe the effectiveness of a community-campus partnership to reduce risks among anglers in a public housing neighborhood near contaminated waters. 2.Identify three lessons learned from key stakeholders (i.e., nursing students, anglers, others) during this community-campus partnership. 3.Discuss potential challenges involved in implementing community-campus partnerships for health promotion activities with public housing neighborhoods.