Decline in fish consumption among pregnant women after a national mercury advisory. 2003

Emily Oken, and Ken P Kleinman, and Wendy E Berland, and Steven R Simon, and Janet W Rich-Edwards, and Matthew W Gillman
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. emily_oken@harvardpilgrim.org

OBJECTIVE A well-publicized January 2001 federal advisory recommended that pregnant women limit consumption of certain fish because of concerns about mercury contamination. We endeavored to estimate the extent to which pregnant women changed fish consumption habits after dissemination of this national advisory. METHODS We performed interrupted time series analysis of data from a cohort of pregnant women (2235 who completed at least one dietary questionnaire) visiting obstetric offices in a multispecialty group practice in eastern Massachusetts, surveyed before the advisory from April 1999 through December 2000 and after the advisory from April 2001 through February 2002. Main outcome measures were consumption of total fish and of four fish types: canned tuna, dark meat fish, shellfish, and white meat fish. Subjects reported fish consumption on semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires administered at each trimester of pregnancy. RESULTS We observed diminished consumption of dark meat fish, canned tuna, and white meat fish after the national mercury advisory. These decreases resulted in a reduction in total fish consumption of approximately 1.4 servings per month (95% confidence interval 0.7, 2.0) from December 2000 to April 2001, with ongoing declines through the end of the study period. There was no change in shellfish intake. CONCLUSIONS After dissemination of federal recommendations, pregnant women in this cohort reported reduced consumption of fish, including tuna, dark meat fish, and white meat fish. Because these fish may confer nutritional benefits to mother and infant, public health implications of these changes remain unclear.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010349 Patient Compliance Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen. Client Adherence,Client Compliance,Non-Adherent Patient,Patient Adherence,Patient Cooperation,Patient Noncompliance,Patient Non-Adherence,Patient Non-Compliance,Patient Nonadherence,Therapeutic Compliance,Treatment Compliance,Adherence, Client,Adherence, Patient,Client Compliances,Compliance, Client,Compliance, Patient,Compliance, Therapeutic,Compliance, Treatment,Cooperation, Patient,Non Adherent Patient,Non-Adherence, Patient,Non-Adherent Patients,Non-Compliance, Patient,Nonadherence, Patient,Noncompliance, Patient,Patient Non Adherence,Patient Non Compliance,Patient, Non-Adherent,Therapeutic Compliances,Treatment Compliances
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D004435 Eating The consumption of edible substances. Dietary Intake,Feed Intake,Food Intake,Macronutrient Intake,Micronutrient Intake,Nutrient Intake,Nutritional Intake,Ingestion,Dietary Intakes,Feed Intakes,Intake, Dietary,Intake, Feed,Intake, Food,Intake, Macronutrient,Intake, Micronutrient,Intake, Nutrient,Intake, Nutritional,Macronutrient Intakes,Micronutrient Intakes,Nutrient Intakes,Nutritional Intakes
D005260 Female Females
D005506 Food Contamination The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage. Food Adulteration,Adulteration, Food,Adulterations, Food,Contamination, Food,Contaminations, Food,Food Adulterations,Food Contaminations
D005519 Food Preservation Procedures or techniques used to keep food from spoiling. Preservation, Food
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D017408 Guidelines as Topic Works about a systematic statement of policy rules or principles. Guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by convening expert panels. For guidelines in the field of health care and clinical medicine, PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC is available. Guidelines as Topics
D017747 Seafood Marine fish and shellfish used as food or suitable for food. (Webster, 3d ed) SHELLFISH and FISH PRODUCTS are more specific types of SEAFOOD. Sea-Food,Sea Food,Sea-Foods,Seafoods

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