Resumen
- Two bilingual mail surveys were used to assess seafood consumption habits of Hispanics living in metropolitan New York. Culturally sensitive survey instruments were developed through interviews with professionals, a site visit, a focus group, and personal interviews with representatives of the target audience. Questionnaires were mailed to households with Hispanic-sounding surnames randomly selected from the telephone directory. Response rates were 54% (Survey 1, n = 201) and 42% (Survey 2, n = 373), with more than half of the respondents answering the Spanish version of the questionnaire. Respondents to each survey represented more than 20 different countries of origin and a wide variety of socioeconomic characteristics. More than 80% of Survey 1 respondents ate some form of finfish at home at least once per month. Among the 97% of Survey 2 respondents who ate fish or shellfish, the mean seafood consumption in the past 2 weeks was 3.28 ± 2.15 times. Canned tuna and shrimp were the most popular fish and shellfish species consumed, and popularity of other species varied by country of origin. Data indicate that a bilingual mail survey approach and a food frequency instrument can be an effective means of gathering detailed information about food practices among a diverse Hispanic population.