Awareness of family health history in a predominantly young adult population

Abstract

Family health history (FHH) is a key predictor of health risk and is universally important in preventive care. However, patients may not be aware of the importance of FHH, and thus, may fail to accurately or completely share FHH with health providers, thereby limiting its utility. In this study, we conducted an online survey of 294 young adults and employees based at a US university setting regarding their knowledge, sharing behaviors, and perceived importance of FHH, and use of electronic clinical tools to document and update FHH. We also evaluated two educational interventions (written and video) to promote knowledge about FHH and its importance to health. We found that 93% of respondents were highly aware of their FHH, though only 39% reported collecting it and 4% using an online FHH tool. Seventy-three percent of respondents, particularly women, had shared FHH with their doctor when prompted, and fewer had shared it with family members. Participants in the video group were significantly more likely to understand the benefits of FHH than those in the written group (p = 0.02). In summary, educational resources, either video or written, will be helpful to promote FHH collection, sharing, and use of online FHH tools.

The knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding family history of hereditary diseases amongst undergraduate students at the University of the Free State

“…Family medical history can be a trusted source of data providing information about specific genetic disorders common in a family. 1,2 It can assist the healthcare practitioner in determining the possibility of a hereditary genetic disorder occurring in a patient. 3 Family medical history is helpful in preventing, diagnosing and treating common diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, cancers (e.g.…”

“…11 Similarly, when surveying young adults online, 93% were aware of their family health history, but only 39% gathered information on it. 2 This indicates that knowledge does not necessarily impact behaviour, even amongst healthcare trainees or professionals. It would be valuable to understand whether healthcare professionals' attitudes regarding self-screening translates to screening of patients.…”

Glycaemic control in the paediatric and young adult population with type 1 diabetes following a single telehealth visit - what have we learned from the COVID-19 lockdown?

“…Furthermore, 50% and 75%, respectively, were very interested in combining telehealth in future management with in-clinic visits. Previous studies showed that the opportunity to connect remotely to a caregiver promotes patient satisfaction and engagement [ 25 , 26 ]. Nine percent of the families in our study opted to postpone telehealth visits.…”

Democratizing genomics: Leveraging software to make genetics an integral part of routine care

“…When new family history is provided to clinicians, notes added to EHRs have not been sufficient to update risk assessments (Volk et al, 2007). Patients have reported being well aware that family history is important for risk assessment (Walter & Emery, 2006), but their providers have rarely collected it (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2004; Madhavan et al, 2019). Cultural differences between populations, which may result in differing beliefs regarding what information is important to disclose, is an additional consideration in collecting family history (McGrath & Edwards, 2009).…”

“…With increasing demand for specialists and limited time to spend on education, these materials have been thought to provide a mechanism for reinforcing information, increasing the time available for reviewing personal issues during counseling sessions, and providing patients with a way to share information with family members (Axilbund, Hamby, Thompson, Olsen, & Griffin, 2005). Both written and video educational content have been shown to increase patient engagement and improve family history intake (Madhavan et al, 2019). However, interactive mediums such as workshops, web‐based modules, and games are even more effective at increasing genetics knowledge than are static one‐size‐fits‐all materials such as videos or pamphlets (Calzone et al, 2005; Green et al, 2004; Griffith, Sorenson, Bowling, & Jennings‐Grant, 2005; Hernan et al, 2020; Mainetti et al, 2019; McDaniels et al, 2019; Meilleur & Littleton‐Kearney, 2009; Yamamoto et al, 2018; Yee et al, 2014).…”