Susan Persky1, Megan R Goldring2, Sherine El-Toukhy3, Rebecca A Ferrer4, Brittany Hollister1. 1. 1 Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD. 2. 2 Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY. 3. 3 Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, MD. 4. 4 Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD.
Abstract
Background: Future integration of genomics into weight management may target children with overweight given prospects for prevention. Meanwhile, parents learn about weight-related genomics primarily through the media, and little is known about parental reactions to complex genomic and environmental causes underlying children's obesity risk. Methods: Three hundred twenty-four parents with overweight who have a child 3-13 years of age were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Parents were randomized to read an article highlighting one of three causes of obesity risk: genetics only, family environment only, gene-family environment interactions (G × FE), or read a control article. Results: Parents who perceived their child to be overweight exhibited increased risk perception and guilt over parents of lean children overall, but exhibited decreased worry in response to the G × FE message. Furthermore, parents of children with overweight who received the G × FE message did not exhibit heightened risk perception or guilt, reported that the message was less relevant, and that they paid less attention to it. Conclusions: Multifactorial causal information about children's obesity risk elicits unintended consequences among parents whose children are most at-risk for obesity in adulthood. As these messages are most accurate, it is crucial to investigate effective ways to communicate the holistic nature of obesity risk to parents.
RCT Entities:
Background: Future integration of genomics into weight management may target children with overweight given prospects for prevention. Meanwhile, parents learn about weight-related genomics primarily through the media, and little is known about parental reactions to complex genomic and environmental causes underlying children's obesity risk. Methods: Three hundred twenty-four parents with overweight who have a child 3-13 years of age were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Parents were randomized to read an article highlighting one of three causes of obesity risk: genetics only, family environment only, gene-family environment interactions (G × FE), or read a control article. Results: Parents who perceived their child to be overweight exhibited increased risk perception and guilt over parents of lean children overall, but exhibited decreased worry in response to the G × FE message. Furthermore, parents of children with overweight who received the G × FE message did not exhibit heightened risk perception or guilt, reported that the message was less relevant, and that they paid less attention to it. Conclusions: Multifactorial causal information about children's obesity risk elicits unintended consequences among parents whose children are most at-risk for obesity in adulthood. As these messages are most accurate, it is crucial to investigate effective ways to communicate the holistic nature of obesity risk to parents.
Entities:
Keywords:
genomics; health communication; obesity risk; parenting
Authors: Robert T Croyle; Elizabeth F Loftus; Steven D Barger; Yi-Chun Sun; Marybeth Hart; JoAnn Gettig Journal: Health Psychol Date: 2006-05 Impact factor: 4.267
Authors: Susan Persky; Haley E Yaremych; Megan R Goldring; Rebecca A Ferrer; Margaret K Rose; Brittany M Hollister Journal: Ann Behav Med Date: 2021-07-22