Fish consumption patterns,knowledge and potential exposure to mercury by race

Objective: Compared fish consumption patterns, fish advisory/benefit awareness and risk factors of consuming high-mercury (Hg) fish between Chinese and non-Chinese adults. Methods: 301 Chinese and 120 non-Chinese participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants self-reported demographics, fish consumption behavior, and awareness of warnings/benefits of fish consumption. Results: non-Chinese (62.5%) ate more high-Hg fish than Chinese (35.9%) although more Chinese ate fish in the last year. Over 90% of both groups knew general benefits of consuming fish; fewer knew specific benefits. Chinese were less aware of fish warnings (49.8%) than non-Chinese (86.7%); knowledge did not appear to affect their fish consumption. Conclusions: There were significant differences in fish consumption patterns and fish benefit/warning knowledge between the two groups. A higher proportion of non-Chinese reported consumption of high-Hg fish. Fish knowledge did not affect fish consumption behavior for either group. Public education efforts regarding fish consumption should emphasize details such as species and amounts.     

Perceptions of the risks and benefits of fish consumption: Individual choices to reduce risk and increase health benefits

Studies of fish consumption often focus on awareness of and adherence to advisories, how much fish people eat, and contaminant levels in those fish. This paper examines knowledge and accuracy of risks and benefits of fish consumption among fishers and other recreationists in the New York Bight, indicative of whether they could make sound dietary decisions. While most respondents knew about health risks (70%) and benefits (94%) of consuming fish, far fewer could name specific risks and benefits. Less than 25% of respondents mentioned mercury and less than 15% mentioned that pregnant women and children were at risk. Far fewer people mentioned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Nearly 70% said it was healthy to eat fish, and 45% were aware that fish were rich in healthful oils. Despite the lack of details about what specific risks and benefits of fish, well over a third did not feel they needed more information. Other respondents had basic questions, but did not pose specific questions about the fish they caught or ate that would have clarified their individual risk-balancing decisions. Knowledge of which fish were high in contaminants did not match the mercury or PCB levels in those fish. There was a disconnect between the information base about specific risks and benefits of fish consumption, levels of mercury and PCBs in fish, and the respondent's desire for more information. These data indicate that respondents did not have enough accurate information about contaminants in fish to make informed risk-balancing decisions.     

Fishing, fish consumption, and knowledge about advisories in college students and others in central New Jersey

Risks to humans and other organisms from consuming fish have become a national concern. Over the past 3 years there have been a number of national advisories regarding saltwater fish. Although information on fishing, consumption patterns, and public knowledge about advisories has been examined for at-risk populations, there is little information about the latter for a general population. Overall knowledge about advisories, ratings for information about the risks and benefits of eating fish, and the relationship between fishing, consumption patterns, and knowledge about advisories was examined in a sample of 180 college students and others residing in central New Jersey, USA. The null hypothesis of no differences in fishing, consumption, and knowledge about advisories as a function of age, gender, ethnicity, and education was tested. A significantly higher proportion of men fished compared to women, and significantly fewer Blacks and Asians fished than did Whites or Hispanics. More Asians who fished did so in salt water, compared to others. There were no gender differences in consumption patterns, and few age or ethnic differences, mainly due to low sample sizes in some ethnic groups. Significantly fewer young people and fewer Asians ate fish compared to others. Overall, more people knew about the benefits of eating fish than the risks. Half as many people had heard about advisories concerning tuna, and less than a third knew about advisories concerning shark and swordfish than had heard general warnings. There were no gender differences in knowing about advisories, but there were several ethnic differences: a lower percentage of Asians generally knew that there were advisories, and fewer Blacks knew that there were benefits from eating fish than others. People in the age group 21-45 years were less aware of both the benefits and the risks from eating fish compared to older people. These data suggest that risk managers need to target younger people for information about the risks and benefits of consuming fish, particularly given that this is the population that will become pregnant over the next few years. Contrary to some previous research, subjects trusted family, friends, and other fishermen less for knowledge about the risks and benefits of fish consumption than other sources, such as doctors, governmental officials, and university professors. Even with this limited sample size, it is clear that people have heard more about the benefits of fish consumption than the risks, and a relatively low percentage have heard about the recent US Food and Drug Administration warnings about swordfish and shark.     

Fishing, fish consumption, and awareness about warnings in a university community in central New Jersey in 2007, and comparisons with 2004

Fish are a healthy source of protein, but the risks from consuming fish have become a national concern. Over the past 7 years, there have been a number of national advisories regarding saltwater fish. Fish consumption patterns and public knowledge about advisories and warnings have been examined for at-risk populations, but there is little information about the latter for a general population, or of temporal trends in such information acquisition. Information about the benefits and health risks of consuming fish, health warnings from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Food and Drug Administration, belief in these warnings, and trust in different sources of information were examined in a sample of 460 people within a university community in central New Jersey in 2007. The null hypothesis of no differences in fishing, consumption, and knowledge about advisories as a function of age, gender, ethnicity, and education was tested. In 2007, only 30% of the study population fished, and 83% of the study population ate fish, either commercial or self-caught. There were differences in fishing behavior, consumption patterns, and awareness of advisories as a function of gender, ethnicity, age, and education. Most notably, nearly twice as many men as women fished, Whites fished more and Blacks and Indian/Pakistanis fished less than other ethnic groups, and people aged 23-35 fished more than did others. About 8% of fish meals were from self-caught fish, 32% were eaten in restaurants, and 60% were of fish bought in stores and cooked at home. Men ate more meals of self-caught fish than did females, and Asians ate more meals of fish in restaurants, and Blacks ate more meals of store-bought fish than other ethnic groups. The total number of fish meals consumed per month increased significantly with age. Overall, more people had heard about the benefits (92%) than the risks (78%) of fish consumption. When asked whom they trust for information about health benefits and risks from eating fish, doctors were rated the highest, followed by professors; friends and fishermen were rated the lowest. We then examined whether there were any changes from 2004 to 2007 in the knowledge of the health benefits and warnings about fish consumption, and the trustworthiness of different sources of information. In other words, have communication efforts of the state and federal agencies resulted in any appreciable increase in overall awareness of the benefits or risks of fish consumption. The greatest change in the parameters examined from 2004 to 2007 was an overall decrease in fish consumption from an average of 7.9 meals per month in 2004 to about six meals per month in 2007. This suggests that the unintended effect of some of the warnings and advisories is to decrease overall fish consumption, rather than to switch from fish species with high levels of contaminants to those with low levels.     

Tracking Declines in Mercury Exposure in the New York City Adult Population, 2004–2014

Mercury is a toxic metal that can be measured in human blood and urine. Population-based biomonitoring from 2004 guided New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) efforts to reduce exposures by educating the public about risks and benefits of fish consumption—a predominant source of exposure in the general population—and removing mercury-containing skin-lightening creams and other consumer products from the marketplace. We describe changes in exposures over the past decade in relation to these local public health actions and in the context of national changes by comparing mercury concentrations measured in blood (1201 specimens) and urine (1408 specimens) from the NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES) 2013–2014 with measurements from NYC HANES 2004 and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2003–2004 and 2013–2014. We found that NYC adult blood and urine geometric mean mercury concentrations decreased 46% and 45%, respectively. Adult New Yorkers with blood mercury concentration ≥?5 μg/L (the New York State reportable level) declined from 24.8% (95% CL?=?22.2%, 27.7%) to 12.0% (95% CL?=?10.1%, 14.3%). The decline in blood mercury in NYC was greater than the national decline, while the decline in urine mercury was similar. As in 2004, Asian New Yorkers had higher blood mercury concentrations than other racial/ethnic groups. Foreign-born adults of East or Southeast Asian origin had the highest prevalence of reportable levels (29.7%; 95% CL?=?21.0%, 40.1%) across sociodemographic groups, and Asians generally were the most frequent fish consumers, eating on average 11 fish meals in the past month compared with 7 among other groups (p?<?0.001). Fish consumption patterns were similar over time, and fish continues to be consumed more frequently in NYC than nationwide (24.7% of NYC adults ate fish ten or more times in the past 30 days vs. 14.7% nationally, p?<?0.001). The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that blood mercury levels have declined in part because of local and national efforts to promote consumption of lower mercury fish. Local NYC efforts may have accelerated the reduction in exposure. Having “silver-colored fillings” on five or more teeth was associated with the highest 95th percentile for urine mercury (4.06 μg/L; 95% CL?=?3.1, 5.9). An estimated 5.5% of the adult population (95% CL?=?4.3%, 7.0%) reported using a skin-lightening cream in the past 30 days, but there was little evidence that use was associated with elevated urine mercury in 2013–14.     

Maternal fish consumption, hair mercury, and infant cognition in a U.S. Cohort

Fish and other seafood may contain organic mercury but also beneficial nutrients such as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. We endeavored to study whether maternal fish consumption during pregnancy harms or benefits fetal brain development. We examined associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and maternal hair mercury at delivery with infant cognition among 135 mother-infant pairs in Project Viva, a prospective U.S. pregnancy and child cohort study. We assessed infant cognition by the percent novelty preference on visual recognition memory (VRM) testing at 6 months of age. Mothers consumed an average of 1.2 fish servings per week during the second trimester. Mean maternal hair mercury was 0.55 ppm, with 10% of samples > 1.2 ppm. Mean VRM score was 59.8 (range, 10.9-92.5). After adjusting for participant characteristics using linear regression, higher fish intake was associated with higher infant cognition. This association strengthened after adjustment for hair mercury level: For each additional weekly fish serving, offspring VRM score was 4.0 points higher [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3 to 6.7]. However, an increase of 1 ppm in mercury was associated with a decrement in VRM score of 7.5 (95% CI, -13.7 to -1.2) points. VRM scores were highest among infants of women who consumed > 2 weekly fish servings but had mercury levels 相似文献   

A nutritional dilemma: fish consumption,mercury exposure and growth of children in Amazonian Bolivia

To study associations between nutritional status and mercury exposure among communities of the Beni River. Cross-sectional survey of mothers and their children from 15 riverside Amerindian communities in the Beni River valley (Amazonian Bolivia). Hair mercury content (H-Hg) served as a bioindicator of mercury exposure. A total of 556 people were measured. Anthropometric indices of nutrition were calculated after measurements of stature, weight, arm circumference and subcutaneous fat folds. Indicators of lifestyle were collected: subsistence activity, fish consumption and ethnicity. The median of H-Hg was equal to 4.0 μg/g (CI 95%: 3.6 ～ 4.4). There existed a significant relationship between H-Hg and nutritional indices in 5- to 10-year-old children (F = 12.1; p < 0.0001) but not in other age groups. Fishing activity, fish consumption and ethnicity had an effect upon the variance of H-Hg. Positive relationships between nutritional status and H-Hg may be related to the high nutritional value of fish. Among women, the relationship between H-Hg and nutritional status was negative (F = 7.1; p < 0.001), but this disappeared when ethnicity and subsistence activity were taken into account. In these Amazonian communities, recommendations aimed at lowering fish consumption to prevent mercury exposure should be balanced against nutritional advantages conferred upon growing children.     

Awareness and knowledge of methylmercury in fish in the United States

In the 1970s several states in the Great Lakes region became concerned about mercury contamination in lakes and rivers and were the first to issue local fish consumption advisories. In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children, and women who may become pregnant not to consume shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish and recommended that these women not exceed 12 ounces of other fish per week. In 2004, FDA reissued this advice jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and modified it slightly to provide information about consumption of canned tuna and more details about consumption of recreationally caught fish. Though several studies have examined consumers' awareness of the joint FDA and EPA advisory as well as different state advisories, few used representative data. We examined the changes in awareness and knowledge of mercury as a problem in fish using the pooled nationally representative 2001 and 2006 Food Safety Surveys (FSS) with sample sizes of 4482 in 2001 and 2275 in 2006. Our results indicated an increase in consumers' awareness of mercury as a problem in fish (69% in 2001 to 80% in 2006, p<.001). In our regression models, we found that in both years, parents having children less than 5 years of age were more aware of mercury in fish and knowledgeable about the information contained in the national advisories about mercury in fish (p<.01) than other adults. In both 2001 and 2006, women of childbearing age (aged 18–45) were less aware and knowledgeable about this information than other women. However, women of all age groups had larger gains in awareness and knowledge than their male counterparts during this time. Participants' race, education, income, region, fish preparation experiences, having a foodborne illness in the past year, and risk perceptions about the safety of food were significant predictors of their awareness and knowledge.     

An Analysis of Mercury Exposures Among the Adult Population in New York State

The extent of methylmercury exposures among adults in New York State (NYS) has not been well characterized. Over the past few years, the NYS Heavy Metals Registry (HMR) has seen an increase in both blood mercury tests being reported, and nonoccupational exposures to mercury, which appear primarily due to fish consumption. This study will, (1) Characterize the adults who are tested for blood mercury in NYS; (2) Examine the circumstances for blood mercury testing; and (3) Characterize this population in terms of exposure history, specifically those individuals who are non-occupationally exposed through a diet of seafood consumption in reference to blood mercury levels. Data available from HMR laboratory results, including basic demographics and test results, were combined with data from telephone interviews. The interview contains information on the reasons for testing, possible sources of exposure, and the individual’s work and home environment. Approximately 99 % of adults reported to the HMR, with identifiable exposures to mercury, had non-occupational exposures resulting from seafood consumption. Common types of fish consumed include salmon, tuna, and swordfish, with 90 % of adults eating seafood a few times or more per week. Information will be provided on the reasons for being tested and the range of blood mercury levels in relation to their seafood consumption. NYS residents who frequently eat fish should be aware of what types of fish contain mercury and avoid or reduce consumption of fish with high mercury levels.     

Review of Food Policy and Consumer Issues of Mercury in Fish

Public health messages regarding seafood consumption are confounded by long standing dietary advice promoting the healthfulness of consuming fish and recent warnings concerning dangerous mercury levels in specified fish. The warnings vary by federal agency and are directed to vulnerable subpopulations, notably women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children. The issue of mercury in fish has received considerable media coverage, attention from consumer organizations and public policy review. The net result is an area of seemingly contradictory advice directed to consumers and health professionals on the type and quantity of fish safe to consume. This message that fish is nutritious and healthy is particularly understood by educated and affluent subpopulations who can afford a variety of fish in their diet. This review addresses the contradictory rhetoric and reviews the state and federal agency policy positions. It considers the arguments for and against disclosing mercury-related information and its anticipated impact on the extended health benefits of fish consumption versus the risk to vulnerable subpopulations. The issue of balancing and targeting healthy messages and dietary warnings on fish is important because within the U.S. childbearing population, it is conservatively estimated that 250,000 women may be exposing their fetuses to higher levels of methylmercury than is in federal public health guidelines; two million more may not be consuming enough low-mercury fish.     

Review of food policy and consumer issues of mercury in fish

Public health messages regarding seafood consumption are confounded by long standing dietary advice promoting the healthfulness of consuming fish and recent warnings concerning dangerous mercury levels in specified fish. The warnings vary by federal agency and are directed to vulnerable subpopulations, notably women of childbearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children. The issue of mercury in fish has received considerable media coverage, attention from consumer organizations and public policy review. The net result is an area of seemingly contradictory advice directed to consumers and health professionals on the type and quantity of fish safe to consume. This message that fish is nutritious and healthy is particularly understood by educated and affluent subpopulations who can afford a variety of fish in their diet. This review addresses the contradictory rhetoric and reviews the state and federal agency policy positions. It considers the arguments for and against disclosing mercury-related information and its anticipated impact on the extended health benefits of fish consumption versus the risk to vulnerable subpopulations. The issue of balancing and targeting healthy messages and dietary warnings on fish is important because within the U.S. childbearing population, it is conservatively estimated that 250,000 women may be exposing their fetuses to higher levels of methylmercury than is in federal public health guidelines; two million more may not be consuming enough low-mercury fish.     

Maternal fish intake during pregnancy, blood mercury levels, and child cognition at age 3 years in a US cohort

The balance of contaminant risk and nutritional benefit from maternal prenatal fish consumption for child cognitive development is not known. Using data from a prospective cohort study of 341 mother-child pairs in Massachusetts enrolled in 1999-2002, the authors studied associations of maternal second-trimester fish intake and erythrocyte mercury levels with children's scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA) at age 3 years. Mean maternal total fish intake was 1.5 (standard deviation, 1.4) servings/week, and 40 (12%) mothers consumed >2 servings/week. Mean maternal mercury level was 3.8 (standard deviation, 3.8) ng/g. After adjustment using multivariable linear regression, higher fish intake was associated with better child cognitive test performance, and higher mercury levels with poorer test scores. Associations strengthened with inclusion of both fish and mercury: effect estimates for fish intake of >2 servings/week versus never were 2.2 (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.6, 7.0) for the PPVT and 6.4 (95% CI: 2.0, 10.8) for the WRAVMA; for mercury in the top decile, they were -4.5 (95% CI: -8.5, -0.4) for the PPVT and -4.6 (95% CI: -8.3, -0.9) for the WRAVMA. Fish consumption of < or =2 servings/week was not associated with a benefit. Dietary recommendations for pregnant women should incorporate the nutritional benefits as well as the risks of fish intake.     

Methylmercury exposure in Wisconsin: A case study series

Many popular varieties of commercially sold fish, including tilefish, seabass, shark, and swordfish, contain enough mercury so that eating them once or twice a month can lead to high mercury body burdens. Wisconsin has issued mercury-based sport-fish consumption advice to people of all ages since 1985. Wisconsin's advisory was revised in 2000 to address all inland waters and again in 2004 to integrate information about sport-caught fish with advice for commercially sold fish. Because of the increased popularity of fish as a source of dietary protein, a significant percentage of the US population may be at risk of methylmercury-induced health problems. Although several studies have assessed mercury exposure among children and women of child-bearing age, very little is known about mercury body burdens among men or postmenopausal women. This article describes fish consumption and mercury exposure among 14 people who consumed fish twice a week or more and 1 person who ate no fish. Steady-state blood mercury levels available for 10 adults and 1 child ranged from <5 to 58 microg/L and correlated well with dietary mercury intake estimates. Three of these individuals reported vague, subclinical symptoms such as mental confusion, sleep difficulty, balance problems, or visual disturbances, which improved after their mercury levels returned to normal.     

Fish intake during pregnancy and early cognitive development of offspring

BACKGROUND: Fish is a source of many nutrients that can be beneficial during pregnancy, as well as a source of neurotoxicant contaminants such as methylmercury. Previous investigations of fish intake in relation to neurodevelopment have focused on possible damage from contaminants, whereas potential benefits of fish consumption have been relatively unexplored METHODS: We evaluated the association between maternal fish intake during pregnancy and offspring's early development of language and communication skills in a cohort of 7421 British children born in 1991-1992. Fish intake by the mother and child was measured by questionnaire. The child's cognitive development was assessed using adaptations of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory at 15 months of age and the Denver Developmental Screening Test at 18 months of age. Mercury was measured in umbilical cord tissue for a subset of 1054 children RESULTS: Total mercury concentrations were low and were not associated with neurodevelopment. Fish intake by the mother during pregnancy, and by the infant postnatally, was associated with higher mean developmental scores. For example, the adjusted mean MacArthur comprehension score for children whose mothers consumed fish 4 or more times per week was 72 (95% confidence interval = 71-74), compared with 68 (66-71) among those whose mothers did not consume fish. CONCLUSIONS: When fish is not contaminated, moderate fish intake during pregnancy and infancy may benefit development.     

Post-deepwater horizon blowout seafood consumption patterns and community-specific levels of concern for selected chemicals among children in Mobile County,Alabama

Purpose

The goal of the study was to characterize risk pertaining to seafood consumption patterns following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, among school children (K to 4th grade) residing in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico in Mobile County, Alabama.

The Effect of Parental Involvement on Problematic Social Behaviors Among School-Age Children in Kentucky

This study examines the associations among parental active involvement and healthy role modeling behavior with social behavior among children in Kentucky and the nation. Data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health was used, limited to children 6–17 years old. The dependent variable was a composite measure of problematic social behavior. Independent variables included parental involvement, parental healthy role modeling, and demographic variables. Chi square tests of independence were completed for bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were developed for Kentucky and the nation. The prevalence of problematic social behaviors in children was 10.4 % in Kentucky and 8.8 % in the nation. The parents of children in Kentucky who often exhibited problematic social behavior reported poor parent–child communication (50.4 %), not coping well with parenthood (56.5 %), parental aggravation (48.3 %), and less emotional help with parenting (9.1 %). The factor with the largest magnitude of association in Kentucky (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.2; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.6, 24.5) and the nation (AOR = 4.8; 95 % CI: 3.3, 7.0) was observed for whether or not the parent communicated well with the child. Additional factors associated with problematic social behavior among children in Kentucky were living in a single parent, mother-led household, and having a parent with fair or poor mental health. Public health programs that target factors addressing the parent–child dyad, parent–child communication, and model healthy relationships may reduce the occurrence of problematic social behavior in 6–17-year-old children in Kentucky.     

A mothers' perspective on fish and her child's fish consumption in Surakarta,Indonesia

BACKGROUD/OBJECTIVESUnderstanding the factors associated with fish consumption is necessary to determine strategies to improve the fish consumption particularly those high in omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA). The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between a mother''s perspective on fish and actual fish consumption in their children.SUBJECTS/METHODSTwo hundred thirty-one elementary school children grade 3–6 and their mothers in Surakarta were recruited using multi stage random sampling for this study. Data was collected in July and August 2017. A validated questionnaire consisted of 3 topics including knowledge related to the health benefits and organoleptic properties of fish and cooking technique-related attitudes on fish were used to measure the mother''s response to the fish properties. A validated food frequency questionnaire and a food picture book of fish specifically designed for the survey were developed and used to assess fish consumption of the children. A χ² test was used to analyse the correlation between the mothers'' perspective on fish and their children''s fish consumption.RESULTSThe median fish consumption in children was 65 g/d with fried non-oily or lean fish, e.g., milkfish (locally called Bandeng) and catfish (locally called Lele) were consumed more than oily fish as well as processed fish products. Of all children, 31% met the fish consumption recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency-Food and Drug Administration 2017. There was no relationship between a mother''s knowledge related to health benefits, organoleptic properties and cooking technique-related attitude toward fish and her child''s fish consumption.CONCLUSIONSThe fish consumption of children is not influenced by their mother''s perspective on fish. Nutrition education strategies are warranted to improve fish consumption and maintain the optimal benefits by consuming fish, including fish high in n-3 LCPUFA.     

Relationship of Maternal Knowledge of Anemia with Maternal and Child Anemia and Health-Related Behaviors Targeted at Anemia Among Families in Indonesia

Our specific aim was to characterize maternal knowledge of anemia and its relationship to maternal and child anemia and to behaviors related to anemia reduction. We examined the relationship between maternal knowledge of anemia and anemia in the mother and the youngest child, aged 6–59 months, in 7,913 families from urban slums and 37,874 families from rural areas of Indonesia. Knowledge of anemia was defined based upon the mother’s ability to correctly name at least one symptom of anemia and at least one treatment or strategy for reducing anemia. Hemoglobin was measured in both the mother and the child. In urban and rural areas, respectively, 35.8 and 36.9% of mothers had knowledge of anemia, 28.7 and 25.1% of mothers were anemic (hemoglobin <12 g/dL), and 62.3 and 54.0% of children were anemic (hemoglobin <11 g/dL). Maternal knowledge of anemia was associated with child anemia in urban and rural areas, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79, 1.02, P = 0.10; OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87, 0.98, P = 0.01) in multivariate logistic regression models adjusting for potential confounders. There was no significant association between maternal knowledge of anemia and maternal anemia. Maternal knowledge of anemia was significantly associated with iron supplementation during pregnancy and child consumption of fortified milk. There was no association of maternal knowledge of anemia with child deworming. Maternal knowledge of anemia is associated with lower odds of anemia in children and with some health behaviors related to reducing anemia.     

Consumption of fish from polluted waters by WIC participants in East Harlem

To minimize exposure to neurotoxins such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and pesticide residues, the New York State Department of Health issues health advisories about consumption of certain fish and shellfish caught from polluted local waters. Fetal exposure causes cognitive developmental deficits in children. Consumption of fish was assessed. We surveyed 220 WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) participants. Of the participants, 10% ate fish and shellfish caught in local polluted waters. Statistically significant factors associated with eating local, noncommercial fish included male gender and knowledge of the health advisory. Locally caught fish and crabs are consumed; thus, in utero and childhood exposure to these neurotoxins occurs. Interventions to promote safer choices of fish are needed.