Effectiveness of Educational and Psychological Messaging Interventions to Improve Safe Fish Consumption Knowledge and Behaviors Among Asian Women of Childbearing Age

Elizabeth Polter, PhD, MPH; Amanda Haban, MPH; Jon Meiman, MD; Carrie Tomasallo, PhD, MPH

WMJ. 2024;123(6):537-541.

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ABSTRACT

Background: We evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce contaminant exposure from fish consumption among Asian women of childbearing age residing in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area.

Methods: Women of childbearing age were randomized to group 1, no intervention; group 2, educational messaging only; or group 3, educational messaging plus a motivational self-affirmation component. Then, we compared safe fish consumption knowledge, intentions, and behaviors among groups.

Results: Among 123 participants, groups 2 and 3 were more likely than group 1 to report “eating fewer fish meals” to reduce exposure to contaminants (group 2 odds ratio [OR] 1.42; 95% CI, 0.59–3.44; group 3 OR 2.76; 95% CI, 1.12–7.03).

Discussion: Self-affirmation messaging can enhance educational messaging to increase safe fish consumption among Asian women of childbearing age.

Author Affiliations: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison, Wisconsin (Polter, Haban, Meiman, Tomasallo); Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (Polter).
Corresponding Author: Elizabeth Polter, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 1 W Wilson St, Ste 150, Madison, WI 53703; phone 608.266.7480; email Ura1@cdc.gov; ORCID ID 0000-0001-7336-3492
Funding/Support: None declared.
Financial Disclosures: None declared.
Acknowledgement: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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