The Health & Heritage Project...Communicating Genetics Information to the Lay Public Grant...This research was supported by Grant #R06/CCR417219 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Project Description

The specific aims of the Health & Heritage Project are to conduct systematic formative research using focus groups to evaluate the general public’s knowledge structures about human genetics research. This includes actual and procedural understanding, positive and negative outcome expectancies associated with genetics, and self-efficacy with regard to informed and shared decision-making about human genetics research (HGR).  Comparisons of the perceptions of European America and African American males and females forty years and younger will be examined.  A second aim is to develop and pilot test culturally and linguistically appropriate indicators to measure key behavioral constructs and associated human genetics messages, assessing the measures for reliability and validity in a population-based telephone survey of European America and African American males and females forty years and younger.  The third aim of the project is to refine the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of measures and messages about the meaning of human genetics, giving consideration to literacy, numeracy, and cognitive development in the message design, then test the messages effects in a randomized pilot test of European America and African American males and females forty years and younger, comparing these to a “standard” message.

Research Team