Although knowledge about genetic concepts is important for individuals to be active participants in medical technologies that use genetic science, limited information is available on knowledge about basic genetic concepts and terminology in African Americans. The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge about general genetic concepts and medical genetics terminology among African Americans and to identify factors having independent associations with knowledge. Participants were 109 adult African Americans enrolled in a study on attitudes about race, genetics, and smoking. The majority of respondents were knowledgeable about general genetic concepts, but were less knowledgeable about medical genetics terminology. Education was the only factor independently associated with knowledge about sporadic disorders in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Respondents with at least some college education were most likely to be knowledgeable about sporadic disorders (OR=2.70, 95% CI=1.10, 6.67, p=.03). The results of this study suggest that genetics education targeted to African Americans may need to focus on increasing understanding about technical concepts related to genetics.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by grants #P50-CA-095856-01A10004 and #P50-CA-084718 from the National Cancer Institute, grant #DAMD17-00-1-0262 from the Department of Defense, and grant #R25-ES12089-01 from the National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. We are very grateful to all of the men and women who participated in this research.
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Kessler, L., Collier, A. & Halbert, C.H. Knowledge About Genetics Among African Americans. J Genet Counsel 16, 191–200 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-006-9054-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-006-9054-3