Most families don’t talk about this important medical issue
One in seven people have never talked to relatives about their family’s health history, according to a recent global survey to work From Bupa, a health insurance company. The survey included 8,000 adults and 169 healthcare professionals from the UK, Australia, Spain and more.
30 percent of those surveyed said they would never consider talking about their family health history, and 20 percent said their family did not discuss their health openly.
“Even though he’s one of the seven, this person is connected to a family that hasn’t had these conversations. So in some ways he’s like one of the seven families,” he says. Sherry PagotoA licensed clinical psychologist who participated in the research.
According to the research, nearly four-fifths (79%) of healthcare professionals surveyed agree that “more lives could be saved if patients had better information about their family health history.”
With knowledge of genetic health risks, doctors can make informed decisions, such as screening patients for certain conditions that run in their families, Pagoto says. But he adds that patients may not understand the importance of having these conversations or may be uncomfortable learning about their health history.
Pagoto, a professor in the University of Connecticut’s department of Allied Health Sciences, says another problem is “not really knowing how to bring it up.” Some people may have difficulty deciding how to approach the subject and what to do after receiving the information.
Here are Pagoto’s tips for starting to talk to your family about your genetic health risks and suggestions for next steps.
6 tips for talking to your family about genetic health risks
- Believe that your loved one may be open to talking about: “People will be surprised to see how open their family members are to talking about themselves,” says Pagoto. “Especially older family members.”
- Check in with them about how they’re feeling right now: “How are you feeling today?” Start with what is comfortable by asking: he suggested. You can ask about their last checkup and what they talked about with their doctor.
- Introduce the topic of your family’s health history: You could start the conversation with something like this: “I’d like to learn more about the health problems you’re experiencing because they may run in the family,” she suggests. Or you can ask what caused the death of specific family members to get more context.
- Take notes and document information after: Approach this conversation “almost like you’re creating this family tree, but you’re establishing the health conditions,” says Pagoto. Having all the information in one place makes it easy to share it with your doctor, siblings, or your own children.
- Get other family members on board: If you talk to your grandmother about this side of your family, perhaps you can ask your siblings to talk to your father’s side, she notes. Delegating tasks will make it easier for you to get all the information you need.
- Share what you’ve learned with the right people: Once you learn about your genetic health risks, it is important to share what you learn with your doctor and family members. Ask your doctor, “Are there any tests or scans we should do for me right now?” Ask questions like. or “What suggestions do you have? [prevention]?”
Remember, what you learn about your family’s health history is just context and not a prediction of what you can expect in your own future, Pagoto says. “Your genes are not your destiny. They are part of an equation. Your lifestyle and health care are a big part of that equation,” he explains.
“It can actually make you feel more motivated to do these healthy lifestyle behaviors that sometimes we feel like, ‘I’m not motivated for this,’ or ‘I don’t have time for this.’ It’s really at the top of your list of priorities.”
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