title: Factors affecting frequency of communication about family health history with family members and doctors in a medically underserved population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Family history contributes to risk for many common chronic diseases. Little research has investigated patient factors affecting communication of this information.
  
  
  METHODS
  1061 adult community health center patients were surveyed. We examined factors related to frequency of discussions about family health history (FHH) with family members and doctors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who talked frequently with family members about FHH were more likely to report a family history of cancer (p =.012) and heart disease (p < .001), seek health information frequently in newspapers (p < .001) and in general (p < .001), and be female (p < .001). Patients who talked frequently with doctors about FHH were more likely to report a family history of heart disease (p = .011), meet physical activity recommendations (p = .022), seek health information frequently in newspapers (p < .001) and in general (p < .001), be female (p < .001), and not have experienced racial discrimination in healthcare (p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with a family history of some diseases, those not meeting physical activity recommendations, and those who do not frequently seek health information may not have ongoing FHH discussions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions are needed to encourage providers to update patients' family histories systematically and assist patients in initiating FHH conversations in order to use this information for disease prevention and control.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. kaphingstk@wudosis.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kaphingst
authors.forename: Melody
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Chintan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pandya
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Jewel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stafford
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lachance
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003153:Community Health Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States