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Parents’ Understanding of Genetics and Heritability
Author(s) -
Harding Brittany,
Egan Rylan,
Kannu Peter,
MacKenzie Jennifer J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1007/s10897-016-0021-3
Subject(s) - heritability , psychological intervention , curriculum , medicine , public health , disease , genetic counseling , psychology , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , genetics , psychiatry , nursing , biology , pedagogy , pathology
Parents have the opportunity to educate their children to facilitate behaviours and lifestyle habits that may prevent or delay genetic disease, or mitigate predispositions within the family. We sought to determine parents’ understanding of genetic knowledge and heritability. Using a quantitative survey methodology 108 volunteer participants were surveyed from a convenience sample of all parents/caregivers within the waiting room of a general children's outpatient clinic. Results indicated that average genetic knowledge levels were fairly high, with the majority of participants scoring 70–80 % correct on knowledge‐based questions. Further, scores were found to be positively correlated with education, but inversely correlated with self‐perceived knowledge. This finding suggests that participants with less experience tended to overestimate their knowledge. We suggest that gaps in knowledge of genetics and heritability could be improved by using educational interventions such as media campaigns, provision of informational brochures, or changes to current high school curriculum which would increase exposure to genetics and heritability for both parents and children.