2007/711 Review of literature and resources relating to the health benefit of regular consumption of seafood as part of a healthy diet

By Alexandra McManus et al.

The purpose of this review was to;

• Undertake an initial assessment of the current status of organisations and institutions providing information regarding seafood consumption.
• Detail the work that has been done to document the health benefits of seafood.
• Identify current methods and those with future potential for communicating the information to the general population regarding the health benefits from consuming seafood.
• Identify opportunities for domestic and international collaboration pertaining to the research and communication of the health benefits of seafood consumption

The identification process realised 120 current resources associated with the health benefits of regular consumption of seafood as part of a healthy diet that could be used by GPs and health professionals. The resource topics included arthritis (seven), cancer (six), dementia (one), dental health (two), diabetes (three), heart health (30), nutrition (40), osteoporosis (six) and preconception, pregnancy and breastfeeding (25).

The critical review of resources revealed information about the format, target group, reference to seafood, credibility and suitability of the identified resources. The majority (88.4%) of identified resource were available electronically as either PDF files or webpages, a preferable, quick and easy mode of access for GPs and health professionals. Just over half (57.5%) of the identified resources were targeted at specific audiences. All of the resources made reference to the health benefits of regular consumption of fish, 22.5% made reference to seafood and 5% made reference to fish oil as part of a healthy diet. Only 15% of the identified resources were suitable for use with the general Australian population at or below the recommended reading level of Year Eight.

This report was initially embargoed as commercial in confidence but is now available for download below