Know Your Family Ancestry, Conditions, Traits, and Traditions (FACTs) DC: Increasing Genomic Awareness in Underserved Communities

Abstract

Family Health History (FHH) is a practical, cost-effective, and engaging tool that is important in identifying individuals at an increased risk for disease. The Know Your FACTs© (KYF) program has educated underserved communities about cancer risks, urged individuals to share their FHH with healthcare providers and family members, and encouraged cancer screening and risk reduction activities. In addition to containing instructions for the collection of FHH, the KYF tool included surveys which were distributed in underserved community-based settings to determine individuals' intentions to use and share their FHH. Our results demonstrate that 88.9% intend to use or utilized the FHH tool, 91.1% aim to share or shared the tool with their family members, 86.7% intend to share or shared their FHH with their doctor, and 53.3% would make lifestyle changes. Since the implementation of KYF, patient referrals to genetic counseling have increased considerably from 1 to 11 referrals monthly. These findings support the importance of the Know Your FACTs© program by demonstrating that the community is interested in health and important services such as genetic counseling. As a result of this compelling effort, genetic counseling services are now being offered at the Howard University Cancer Center for the first time.