Iona College Community Centered Family Health History Project: Lessons Learned from Student Focus Groups

Abstract

The Community Centered Family Health History project was initiated to create accessible family health history tools produced by and for the community. The project goal was to promote increased community engagement in health education by encouraging conversations among family members that would translate knowledge of family health history into healthy lifestyle choices. As one of seven community partners, Iona College participated in customizing and beta-testing the Does It Run in the Family? toolkit. Twenty-nine college students were engaged to recruit three relatives related by blood to provide feedback on the utility of the toolkit. The toolkit consists of two booklets--"A Guide to Family Health History" and "A Guide to Understanding Genetics and Health"--explaining the importance of knowing and talking about health within the family as well as basics about how conditions are passed down through generations. Twenty-two of the twenty-nine students participated in focus groups to discuss their reactions to participation in the project. Students in the focus group reported that the study participants--students and their family members--found the toolkit to be user friendly and the experience a valuable one that prompted many to take positive steps toward good health.

Family Health History and Behavioral Change among Undergraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Students discussed this assignment as an opportunity for communication with family members and taking a more proactive role in their health [6]. Students' reflections related to social cognitive theory, where students learned through their research experiences by observing others' actions during family interviews and subsequent health interactions.…”

“…Other FHH research targeting students and their families in a three-month intervention reported improved ability to openly communicate about family health issues [6]. Many students initiated conversations with healthcare providers and improved their physical activity and nutrition.…”

“…An accurate FHH knowledge may reduce disease risk by improving risk perceptions and positive health behaviors [5]. However, little research exists on whether collecting FHH is associated with measurable behavioral change [6].…”

Community-Based Family Health History Education: The Role of State Health Agencies in Engaging Medically Underserved Populations in Understanding Genomics and Risk of Chronic Disease

“…We also did not attempt to follow up with participants to learn whether they really did share FHH information with relatives or providers. Previous work in this area has shown that the practice of sharing FHH information with relatives and providers increases overall levels of communication and trust, makes nonparticipant relatives more willing to discuss health issues with their providers, and increases overall knowledge of risk factors associated with chronic diseases within the family [ 34 , 66 , 67 ], but those studies were done in a general population sample, and it is not clear whether they would be generalizable to the low-income and minority populations reached in this pilot program. More work is needed to determine whether a FHH educational program such as this one truly influences participant behavior around collecting and sharing FHH data.…”

“…The Genetic Alliance recommended that future interventions follow this two-pronged approach of customization and integration as a successful method for promoting FHH collection in underserved communities. The Genetic Alliance’s evaluation of this effort, however, focused primarily on the usability of the toolkit and did not assess whether the groups continued to offer the intervention after the initial project period [ 18 , 31 , 33 , 34 ].…”