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The IFISH6 conference brought together researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss innovations and progress in protecting the safety and health of workers in the fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing industries. This brief provides an overview of the feedback that was received about this conference, ideas for enhancing the impact of IFISH7, and methods of continuing collaboration and innovation in between. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor maternal mental health during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, including lower birthweight and gestational age. However, few studies assess both mental health and diet, which might have interactive effects. Furthermore, most studies are in high‐income countries, though patterns might differ in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Objectives: To analyze relationships between mental health and diet during pregnancy with birth outcomes in Vanuatu, a lower‐middle income country. Methods: We assessed negative emotional symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (referred to as "distress") and dietary diversity during pregnancy, and infant weight and gestational age at birth, among 187 women. We used multivariate linear regression to analyze independent and interactive relationships between distress, dietary diversity, and birth outcomes, controlling for sociodemographic and maternal health covariates. Results: There were no direct linear relationships between dietary diversity or distress with infant birthweight or gestational age, and no curvilinear relationships between distress and infant outcomes. We observed interactive relationships between distress and dietary diversity on birthweight, explaining 2.1% of unique variance (P =.024). High levels of distress predicted lower birthweights among women with low dietary diversity. These relationships were not evident among women with moderate or high dietary diversity. Conclusions: Relationships between mental health and diet might underlie inconsistencies in past studies of prenatal mental health and birthweight. Results highlight the importance of maternal mental health on birthweight in LMICs. Interactive relationships between mental health and diet might ultimately point to new intervention pathways to address the persistent problem of low birthweight in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity prevalence has increased in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the past several decades, with generally greater occurrence among adult females compared with males. Gendered variation in health behaviors, such as substance use, may play a role in how differences in obesity, body size, and composition manifest in association with sex. This study examines sex-moderated relationships of tobacco smoking and kava consumption with body composition and obesity among 301 Ni-Vanuatu (local self-identification meaning "of Vanuatu") adults. Data collected included self-reported frequency of substance use as well as anthropometric measurements to assess body mass, composition, and obesity. Tobacco and kava use were associated with reduced measurements of body mass and adiposity in males, and kava use was associated with some elevated measurements of body mass and hip circumference in females. Kava use was also negatively associated with obesity based on waist-to-height ratio among males. These results have implications for evaluation and future research on substance control programs in this population.