Reach of family health information within familial social networks of older adults: The importance of role modeling

Prior knowledge of family health history (FHH) information facilitates the development of individualized disease risk assessments and ultimately prevention of chronic diseases. However, overall FHH knowledge remains low among the U.S. public. FHH can only be evaluated and disseminated within familial contexts, thus, older adults play a critical role in increasing this knowledge among younger generations. Familial social contexts also shape individuals' perceptions and behaviors. The purpose of this research is to understand the characteristics of social networks (e.g., role models, relationship quality) associated with FHH sharing among older adults. Older adults (ages 60+) at 3 senior centers in Memphis, TN, were interviewed about their familial social networks. Among the 1,043 network members identified by 110 participants, the reach of FHH information was small with only 354 (34%) ever receiving it from the participants. Respondents who had at least one parent sharing FHH with them (β=0.19, p=0.05) and more network members exchanging reciprocal emotional support (β=0.21, p=0.03), reported sharing FHH with a higher proportion of network members. Higher perceived familiarity with own FHH (β=0.26, p=0.01) and cancer diagnosis (β=0.18, p=0.05) also were related to the sharing of FHH information with family.

Having a role model (a parent sharing FHH) may influence older adults to share this information with other family members. Future interventions to increase FHH knowledge can inform older adults, especially those with chronic conditions, about the importance of sharing FHH in protecting the health of their family, and their role in modeling FHH communication behavior to future generations.