Communicating Contaminant Risks from Sport-Caught Fish: The Importance of Target Audience Assessment

A fish consumption health advisory has existed for New York Lake Ontario sport-caught fish since 1978. Our study objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of the advisory for reaching potential target audiences and to identify appropriate advisory content, style, and dissemination methods using a risk communication planning model as an evaluation framework. We used a combination of mail surveys and personal interviews with three target audiences (opinion leaders among recreational anglers and charter boat operators, migrant farm workers, and low-income individuals) and two communicator groups (fishery experts and health care experts). The New York Lake Ontario advisory appeared to be successful in reaching and encouraging risk-mitigating fish consumption behavior in recreational angler opinion leaders and low-income individuals but not in migrant farm workers. The advisory may not be reaching two sensitive subpopulations, women of childbearing age and children. Communicators and target audiences differed in their assessments of important information to include in an advisory. The health advisory could be improved with additional information such as risk-reducing cooking and cleaning methods and by diversifying the dissemination methods to reach the variety of audiences who potentially consume Lake Ontario fish.