Abstract
Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA Across the United States, dissemination of state-issued health advisories has been largely ineffective in communicating the risks from eating contaminated fish. We describe an effective alternative approach that consists of a series of interlinked steps: (1) Define the target audience to suggest appropriate channels for disseminating outreach materials; (2) consult with the audience and outreach agents to shape the message and format; and (3) develop materials and pretest them with the target audience in the context in which they will be distributed and revised based on the results. This article reports how this approach to risk communication was employed to inform Latina and low-income women in Elizabeth, New Jersey, about the health hazards associated with consumption of contaminated fish.