Indigenous communities that rely on the consumption of local fish and shellfish may have elevated exposures to environmental contaminants, such as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Conventional public health communication that focuses on reducing consumption can conflict with cultural identities tied to harvesting local fish. Through a series of focus groups and interviews (n = 25) and a community-wide survey (n = 155) among members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA), we document the connection between local fish/shellfish consumption and Tribal cultural identity, how PFAS contamination may threaten this identity, and explore how to more effectively communicate health risks to Tribal communities.
AldooryL. (2020). The ecological perspective and other ways to (re)consider cultural factors in risk communication. In HeathR. L.O’HairH. D. (Eds.), Handbook of risk and crisis communication (pp. 227–246). Routledge.
3.
AllenI. E.SeamanC. (2007). Statistics roundtable: Likert scales and data analyses. ASQ Quality Progress, 40(7), 64–65.
AmbersonS.BiedenwegK.JamesJ.ChristieP. (2016). “The heartbeat of our people”: Identifying and measuring how salmon influences Quinault tribal well-being. Society & Natural Resources, 29(12), 1389–1404. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2016.1180727
6.
ArquetteM.ColeM.CookK.LaFranceB.PetersM.RansomJ.SargentE.SmokeV.StairsA. (2002). Holistic risk-based environmental decision making: A native perspective. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(Suppl 2), 259. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.02110s2259
7.
BanwellC.HousenT.SmurthwaiteK.TrevenarS.WalkerL.ToddK.RosasM.KirkM. (2021). Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0245141. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141
8.
BarboN.StoiberT.NaidenkoO. V.AndrewsD. Q. (2023). Locally caught freshwater fish across the United States are likely a significant source of exposure to PFOS and other perfluorinated compounds. Environmental Research, 220, 115165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.115165
BaxterJ. (2009). A quantitative assessment of the insider/outsider dimension of the cultural theory of risk and place. Journal of Risk Research, 12(6), 771–791. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669870802579806
11.
BordeleauS.AsselinH.MazerolleM. J.ImbeauL. (2016). “Is it still safe to eat traditional food?” Addressing traditional food safety concerns in aboriginal communities. Science of the Total Environment, 565, 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.189
12.
BoydA. D.BuchwaldD. (2022). Factors that influence risk perceptions and successful COVID-19 vaccination communication campaigns with American Indians. Science Communication, 44(1), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470211056990
13.
BoydA. D.FurgalC. M. (2019). Communicating environmental health risks with Indigenous populations: A systematic literature review of current research and recommendations for future studies. Health Communication, 34(13), 1564–1574. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1507658
BraunV.ClarkeV. (2012). Thematic analysis. In CooperH.CamicP. M.LongD. L.PanterA. T.RindskopfD.SherK. J. (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol. 2. Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 57–71). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004
16.
BrossardD.ScheufeleD. A.KimE.LewensteinB. V. (2009). Religiosity as a perceptual filter: Examining processes of opinion formation about nanotechnology. Public Understanding of Science, 18(5), 546–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662507087304
17.
Caron-BeaudoinÉ.AyotteP.Laouan SidiE. A.Gros-Louis McHughN.LemireM. (2019). Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and associations with thyroid parameters in First Nation children and youth from Quebec. Environment International, 128, 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.04.029
18.
ChristensenK. Y.RaymondM.BlackowiczM.LiuY.ThompsonB. A.AndersonH. A.TurykM. (2017). Perfluoroalkyl substances and fish consumption. Environmental Research, 154, 145–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2016.12.032
19.
Cisneros-MontemayorA. M.PaulyD.WeatherdonL. V.OtaY. (2016). A global estimate of seafood consumption by coastal Indigenous peoples. PLOS ONE, 11(12), e0166681. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166681
20.
CreswellJ. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed., pp. xvii, 395). Sage.
21.
CreswellJ. W.Plano ClarkV. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Sage.
22.
DawadiS.ShresthaS.GiriR. A. (2021). Mixed-methods research: A discussion on its types, challenges, and criticisms. Journal of Practical Studies in Education, 2(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.46809/jpse.v2i2.20
23.
DellingerM. J.AnguzuR.PingatoreN.RipleyM. (2020). Risk-benefit modeling to guide health research in collaboration with Great Lakes fish consuming Native American communities. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 46(6), 1702–1708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2020.08.003
24.
DiamondE. P. (2020). The influence of identity salience on framing effectiveness: An experiment. Political Psychology, 41(6), 1133–1150. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12669
25.
DonatutoJ. L. (2003). Project design and implementation: Bioaccumulative toxics in Native American Shellfish (pp. 1–10). Puget Sound Action Team.
26.
DonatutoJ. L.SatterfieldT. A.GregoryR. (2011). Poisoning the body to nourish the soul: Prioritising health risks and impacts in a Native American community. Health, Risk & Society, 13(2), 103–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2011.556186
DouglasM.WildavskyA. (1982). Risk and culture: An essay on the selection of technological and environmental dangers (1st ed.). University of California Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt7zw3mr
29.
DurkalecA.FurgalC.SkinnerM. W.SheldonT. (2015). Climate change influences on environment as a determinant of Indigenous health: Relationships to place, sea ice, and health in an Inuit community. Social Science & Medicine, 136–137, 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.026
30.
FordL. A.YepG. A. (2003). Working along the margins: Developing community-based strategies for communicating about health with marginalized groups. In ThompsonT. L.ParrottR.DorseyA.MillerK. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of health communication (pp. 241–262). Routledge.
31.
FriendshipK. A.FurgalC. M. (2012). The role of Indigenous knowledge in environmental health risk management in Yukon, Canada. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 71(1), 19003. https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v71i0.19003
32.
GilfricheP.AndréJ.-M.GentesS.Maury-BrachetR.LegeayA.Feurtet-MazelA.Lespinet-NajibV. (2020). Risk perception and specific behaviors of anglers concerning mercury contamination of fish. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 26(4), 859–872. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2018.1543541
HardingA.HarperB.StoneD.O’NeillC.BergerP.HarrisS.DonatutoJ. (2012). Conducting research with tribal communities: Sovereignty, ethics, and data-sharing issues. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(1), 6–10. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103904
35.
HarperB.HarrisS. (2000). Measuring risks to tribal community health and culture. In PriceF.LaneN.BrixK. (Eds.), Environmental toxicology and risk assessment: Recent achievements in environmental fate and transport: Ninth Volume (pp. 195–211). ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/STP14423S
36.
HarwoodJ.SparksL. (2003). Social identity and health: An intergroup communication approach to cancer. Health Communication, 15(2), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327027HC1502_3
37.
HechtM. L.ChoiH. (2012). The communication theory of identity as a framework for health message design. In ChoH. (Ed.), Health communication message design: Theory and practice (pp. 137–152). Sage.
38.
HuffmanT. (2013). Native American educators’ perceptions on cultural identity and tribal cultural education: An application of transculturation theory. Journal of American Indian Education, 52(3), 21–40.
39.
JohnsonB. B.SwedlowB. (2021). Cultural theory’s contributions to risk analysis: A thematic review with directions and resources for further research. Risk Analysis, 41(3), 429–455. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13299
40.
JohnsonJ. R.RancoD. J. (2011). Risk assessment and native Americans at the cultural crossroads: Making better science or redefining health? In OttingerG.CohenB. R. (Eds.), Technoscience and Environmental Justice (pp. 179–200). The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/8702.003.0011
KuhnN.SarkarS.WhiteL. A.HoyJ.McCrayC.Lefthand-BegayC. (2020). Decolonizing risk communication: Indigenous responses to COVID-19 using social media. Journal of Indigenous Social Development, 9(3), Article 3.
43.
KuhnleinH. V.ChanH. M. (2000). Environment and contaminants in traditional food systems of Northern Indigenous peoples. Annual Review of Nutrition, 20, 595–626. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.nutr.20.1.595
44.
LachapelleE.MontpetitÉ.GauvinJ.-P. (2014). Public perceptions of expert credibility on policy issues: The role of expert framing and political worldviews. Policy Studies Journal, 42(4), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12073
MaY.HmielowskiJ. D. (2022). Are you threatening me? Identity threat, resistance to persuasion, and boomerang effects in environmental communication. Environmental Communication, 16(2), 225–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2021.1994442
McMillanL. J.ProsperK. (2016). Remobilizing netukulimk: Indigenous cultural and spiritual connections with resource stewardship and fisheries management in Atlantic Canada. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 26(4), 629–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-016-9433-2
MyersH.FurgalC. (2006). Long-range transport of information: Are arctic residents getting the message about contaminants?Arctic, 59(1), 47–60.
54.
NisbetM. C.ScheufeleD. A. (2009). What’s next for science communication? Promising directions and lingering distractions. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1767–1778. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0900041
PickardH. M.RuyleB. J.HaqueF.LoganJ. M.LeBlancD. R.VojtaS.SunderlandE. M. (2024). Characterizing the areal extent of PFAS contamination in fish species downgradient of AFFF source zones. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(43), 19440–19453. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c07016
57.
PoeM. R.DonatutoJ.SatterfieldT. (2016). “Sense of place”: Human wellbeing considerations for ecological restoration in Puget sound. Coastal Management, 44(5), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2016.1208037
58.
PriorJ.PartridgeE.PlantR. (2014). “We get the most information from the sources we trust least”: Residents’ perceptions of risk communication on industrial contamination. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 21(4), 346–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2014.954011
59.
RoeA. (2003). Fishing for identity: Mercury contamination and fish consumption among Indigenous groups in the United States. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 23(5), 368–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467603259787
SchellL. M.RavenscroftJ.ColeM.JacobsA.NewmanJ., & Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. (2005). Health disparities and toxicant exposure of Akwesasne Mohawk young adults: A partnership approach to research. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(12), 1826–1832. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7914
62.
SharpD.BlackA.MitchellJ. (2016). Using participatory research to communicate environmental health risks to First Nations communities in Canada. Global Bioethics, 27(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/11287462.2016.1145781
63.
SiegristM. (2000). The influence of trust and perceptions of risks and benefits on the acceptance of gene technology. Risk Analysis, 20(2), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1111/0272-4332.202020
64.
SiegristM.CvetkovichG. (2000). Perception of hazards: The role of social trust and knowledge. Risk Analysis, 20(5), 713–719. https://doi.org/10.1111/0272-4332.205064
65.
SimpsonL. (2003). Toxic contamination undermining Indigenous food systems and Indigenous sovereignty. Pimatiziwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 1(2), 129–134.
66.
SturgisP.AllumN. (2004). Science in society: Re-evaluating the deficit model of public attitudes. Public Understanding of Science, 13(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662504042690
67.
SunderlandE. M.HuX. C.DassuncaoC.TokranovA. K.WagnerC. C.AllenJ. G. (2019). A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 29(2), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1
68.
TajfelH.TurnerJ. C. (1986). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In WorchelS.AustinW. G. (Eds.), Psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 7–24). Nelson-Hall.
WeaverH. N. (2001). Indigenous identity: What is it, and who really has it?American Indian Quarterly, 25(2), 240–255.
73.
WildavskyA.DakeK. (1990). Theories of risk perception: Who fears what and why?Daedalus, 119(4), 41–60.
74.
ZhuX.KimY. (2025). Mitigating identity threat in health messaging: A social identity complexity perspective. Health Communication, 40(4), 608–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2358275
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
