BACKGROUND: Many pregnant women in the United States do not consume enough docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)--an essential nutrient found in fish. Apparently conflicting findings that fish consumption is beneficial for the developing fetus, yet potentially toxic because of mercury contamination, have created uncertainty about the appropriate fish-consumption advice to provide to pregnant women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine knowledge, behaviors, and received advice regarding fish consumption among pregnant women who are infrequent consumers of fish. DESIGN: In 2009-2010 we conducted 5 focus groups with 22 pregnant women from the Boston area who ate <2 fish servings/wk. We analyzed transcripts by using immersion-crystallization. RESULTS: Many women knew that fish might contain mercury, a neurotoxin, and had received advice to limit fish intake. Fewer women knew that fish contains DHA or what the function of DHA is. None of the women had received advice to eat fish, and most had not received information about which fish types contain more DHA or less mercury. Because of advice to limit fish intake, as well as a lack of information about which fish types they should be eating, many of the women said that they would rather avoid fish than possibly harm themselves or their infants. The participants thought that a physician's advice to eat fish and a readily available reference regarding which fish are safe to consume during pregnancy would likely have encouraged them to eat more fish. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women might be willing to eat more fish if this were advised by their obstetricians or if they had an accessible reference regarding which types are safe.
BACKGROUND: Many pregnant women in the United States do not consume enough docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)--an essential nutrient found in fish. Apparently conflicting findings that fish consumption is beneficial for the developing fetus, yet potentially toxic because of mercury contamination, have created uncertainty about the appropriate fish-consumption advice to provide to pregnant women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine knowledge, behaviors, and received advice regarding fish consumption among pregnant women who are infrequent consumers of fish. DESIGN: In 2009-2010 we conducted 5 focus groups with 22 pregnant women from the Boston area who ate <2 fish servings/wk. We analyzed transcripts by using immersion-crystallization. RESULTS: Many women knew that fish might contain mercury, a neurotoxin, and had received advice to limit fish intake. Fewer women knew that fish contains DHA or what the function of DHA is. None of the women had received advice to eat fish, and most had not received information about which fish types contain more DHA or less mercury. Because of advice to limit fish intake, as well as a lack of information about which fish types they should be eating, many of the women said that they would rather avoid fish than possibly harm themselves or their infants. The participants thought that a physician's advice to eat fish and a readily available reference regarding which fish are safe to consume during pregnancy would likely have encouraged them to eat more fish. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women might be willing to eat more fish if this were advised by their obstetricians or if they had an accessible reference regarding which types are safe.
Authors: Emily Oken; Ken P Kleinman; Sjurdur F Olsen; Janet W Rich-Edwards; Matthew W Gillman Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2004-10-15 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Emily Oken; Ken P Kleinman; Wendy E Berland; Steven R Simon; Janet W Rich-Edwards; Matthew W Gillman Journal: Obstet Gynecol Date: 2003-08 Impact factor: 7.661
Authors: Philip W Davidson; Deborah A Cory-Slechta; Sally W Thurston; Li-Shan Huang; Conrad F Shamlaye; Douglas Gunzler; Gene Watson; Edwin van Wijngaarden; Grazyna Zareba; Jonathan D Klein; Thomas W Clarkson; J J Strain; Gary J Myers Journal: Neurotoxicology Date: 2011-08-25 Impact factor: 4.294
Authors: Chesney K Richter; Kate J Bowen; Dariush Mozaffarian; Penny M Kris-Etherton; Ann C Skulas-Ray Journal: Lipids Date: 2017-09-27 Impact factor: 1.880
Authors: Emily Oken; Lauren B Guthrie; Arienne Bloomingdale; Matthew W Gillman; Sjurdur F Olsen; Chitra J Amarasiriwardena; Deborah N Platek; David C Bellinger; Robert O Wright Journal: Public Health Nutr Date: 2013-07-24 Impact factor: 4.022
Authors: J J Strain; Philip W Davidson; Sally W Thurston; Donald Harrington; Maria S Mulhern; Alison J McAfee; Edwin van Wijngaarden; Conrad F Shamlaye; Juliette Henderson; Gene E Watson; Grazyna Zareba; Deborah A Cory-Slechta; Miranda Lynch; Julie M W Wallace; Emeir M McSorley; Maxine P Bonham; Abbie Stokes-Riner; Jean Sloane-Reeves; Joanne Janciuras; Rosa Wong; Thomas W Clarkson; Gary J Myers Journal: J Nutr Date: 2012-09-26 Impact factor: 4.798
Authors: Anna E Esparham; Teri Smith; John M Belmont; Michael Haden; Leigh E Wagner; Randall G Evans; Jeanne A Drisko Journal: Integr Med (Encinitas) Date: 2015-04
Authors: Salvatore Benvenga; Maria Teresa Vigo; Daniela Metro; Roberta Granese; Roberto Vita; Maria Le Donne Journal: Endocrine Date: 2015-08-26 Impact factor: 3.633