Fish Consumption Advisory Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for the Protection of Human Health in Canada and the United States

Fish consumption advisories provide valuable information on the protection of human health from contaminated fish consumption, yet are rarely conducted comprehensively nor communicated widely. Environmental policies that fail to adequately develop and implement fish consumption advisory programs are largely to blame. This policy analysis delves into the strengths and weaknesses of current fish consumption advisory programs in the United States and Canada. To compare between these countries, fish consumption advisory programs were broadly described across all 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces/territories. Two case studies were chosen to provide a more detailed look into the complexities of fish consumption advisory programs (Arizona and Nova Scotia). It is apparent from this research that fish consumption advisory programs and policies do not comprehensively address human health and environmental justice concerns in either country suggesting policy changes are necessary. Opportunities for and barriers to regulatory change in both countries were identified, and suggestions on sharing strong policies were provided. Finally, international frameworks aimed at improving fish consumption advisory programs were explored, mainly those used by the European Union. Environmental justice and human health concerns will only increase given changing environments and emerging toxicological issues; therefore, increased focus on fish consumption advisory programs is warranted. This focus should consider policy change in particular because it can codify human health and environmental justice protections upon which stronger fish consumption advisory programs can be built.

The Effect of Nutritional Education on Knowledge and Practice at the Household Level in Zahedan

Background: The present study was carried out to enable, motivate, persuade, and assist the households to use their nutritional knowledge for the promotion of their nutritional status. Methods: In this descriptive- analytical study, 188 households were randomly selected from four regions, which were selected as the population lab in Zahedan city in south-east of Iran. In the studied households, mothers were selected as the target group since they were the main caregivers in families. In the educational intervention, nutrition experts educated the participants individually. Pre- and post-tests were administered before and after the intervention. The educational program included three sessions with regard to every region of population lab. The questionnaire investigated the participants' knowledge (15 items) and practice (10 items). The total scores of knowledge and practice were calculated and participants were classified to be in weak, medium, and good status in this regard. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The mean scores of knowledge were 6.5 ± 2.7 and 8.6 ± 3.0 for before and after the intervention, respectively (P = 0.0001). A significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the association of mothers' knowledge with their age and family size of households (P < 0.01). The results showed that the knowledge of participants was weak (55% vs. 21.5%), medium (43% vs. 51%), and good (12% vs. 27.5%) before and after the intervention, respectively. Conclusion: According to the findings, implementation of supplementary, participatory, and advisory programs are suggested for the improvement of household's nutritional practice.

Middle School Advisory: Students' Perceptions of Its Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to determine if an advisory program that is being implemented in a Central Illinois Junior High School is beneficial in meeting the needs of a school’s student population. Studies have shown that advisory programs help students socially and academically, and are critical in the development of adolescents. Literature supports advisory time in that it gives students an adult to connect to and creates a sense of belongingness. A mixed method survey consisting of Likert scale questions, open-ended questions, and multiple choice questions was electronically distributed to the student population after advisory lessons. Data was analyzed by specifically exploring the descriptive statistics. The findings in this study showed students reported the advisory program as effective, necessary, and often provide topics they could relate to.Keywords: Middle School, Advisory Programs, Adolescents development, perception of effectiveness, social and academic development

Disease Management and Variable Planting Patterns in Peanut

Peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) is typically sown in single or twin rows centered on 91-cm beds. A planter capable of sowing 8 peanut rows on a 182-cm bed was developed by USDA-ARS. This planting pattern optimizes plant spacing and may contribute to crop advantages. Management of soil borne diseases in peanut may be affected by planting patterns. Replicated field experiments were conducted in 2002, 2003, and 2004 at two locations each year near Dawson, Georgia to compare interactions of planting patterns and disease management programs. Three fungicide application regimes were factored over single row, twin row, and diamond planting patterns, for a total of 9 treatments. A block calendar schedule with 14-d intervals was compared with two weather advisory programs, including AU-Pnuts and an experimental version of AU-Pnuts using minimum daily soil temperature (MDST) as a guide for fungicide selection. The seeding rate of each planting pattern was 22 seed/m2. There were no planting pattern by fungicide program interactions. Twin row and diamond planting patterns were often superior in yield than single rows; however, diamond patterns did not yield better than twin rows. Incidence of peg, pod, and limb rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani and stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii was not severe in any trial and was not affected by planting pattern. Despite low disease presence, the calendar program was consistently better for yield and overall disease control than the two advisory programs. Yield was similar for the three fungicide treatments in four of six experiments. Grade of twin row and diamond planted peanut was 0.7 points better than single row peanut over three years at one location. Net return based on crop value less fungicide program cost was more closely tied to yield than variable input costs for fungicide programs.