1. Measuring health conditions and behaviours in fishing industry participants and fishing communities using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS)
- Author
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Karma Norman, Jennifer L. Marcum, Corey Ridings, Michael Drexler, and Cameron Speir
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Ecology ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Fishing ,Aquatic Science ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,Behavioral risk ,Fishing industry ,Environmental health ,Business ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
We estimate physical health, mental health, and healthcare access conditions and behaviours among fishing industry participants from a public health survey in the United States. Human well-being is an increasingly important consideration in ecosystem models and fishery management. We use a standardized public health survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, to estimate health-related aspects of well-being in fishing industry participants (including harvest, processing, and wholesaling sectors) in Washington state and compare to reference populations. We find that physical and mental health outcomes and healthcare access among fishing industry participants are broadly similar to other populations. However, fishing industry participants are more frequently affected by conditions that limit activity and tend to engage in potentially unhealthy behaviour at higher rates. Our work fills a gap on health-related well-being outcomes in the human dimensions of fisheries and demonstrates the role that public health surveys can play in the study of well-being in fishing communities.
- Published
- 2020