FISH CONSUMPTION BY VIETNAMESE WOMEN IMMIGRANTS - A COMPARISON OF METHODS

In this study, the measurement properties of an interview-administered fish consumption frequency questionnaire, used with a pilot study of 20 Vietnamese immigrant women, were described. Reproducibility across two summer interviews and one winter interview for estimates of season al and yearly intake of Great Lakes fish was moderate (intraclass corr elation coefficients: .51-.61). Detailed questioning, by species, resu lted in higher estimates of mean overall consumption (44.6-57.8 meals/ y) than did asking about any fresh-water fish consumed (33.5-46.1; dif ferences 5.1-15.7). Estimates based on the fish consumption frequency questionnaire (i.e., 6.2 +/- 2.0 meals per winter season) were compara ble with those based on extrapolation from a 1-mo calendar (5.8 +/- 5. 6); however, both estimates of consumption were far less than a weighe d record (29.1 +/- 22.2). The results of this study suggest that measu rement variation in fish consumption estimates should be detailed in r esearch reports and should be discussed with respect to risk assessmen ts.