App helps moms-to-be with fish diet choices

A University of Hawaii at Manoa researcher has developed an app that has the potential to empower pregnant women to make informed decisions about the fish they eat.

Catherine Pirkle, an assistant professor of health policy and management, developed the BeneFISHiary app after a study on pregnant women in Bermuda found that public health messaging about mercury exposure from fish was effective but in need of further improvement to promote consumption of healthy and sustainable fish with lower mercury levels.

The current beta version of the app, developed in close collaboration with Philippe Rouja of the Ocean and Human Health Research Programme in Bermuda and Tidjane Tall of the digital design company HUACTIVE, allows users to search for species-specific information about mercury concentrations, nutrients, sustainability, and safer substitutions. Pirkle is seeking funding to expand the use of the app to Hawaii and other coastal communities.