West Side Community Health Services: Final Report
From WikiAdvocacy
West Side Community Health Services endeavored to adapt the Does It Run In the Family? toolkit and the family health history approach to the Hmong community. The goal was to educate the people about genetics and family health history so they could be aware of personal health risks and be fully informed about participating in genomics testing. The goal was also to increase the population’s ability to decide whether or not to participate in the research process and provide proper consent.
A total of 600 booklets were created and purchased for the English speaking Hmong adults. Educational sessions were conducted for 309 individuals at 15 settings and 238 Hmong adults were enrolled in a genomics research project, using the brochures to educate people prior to obtaining informed consent. Venues for the educational sessions included one community organization (Hmong American Partnership), three colleges (Concordia University, Macalester College, and University of Minnesota), two Hmong college student conferences (Hmong College Students of Minnesota in St. Paul MN and Hmong National Development in Appleton WI), and two medical clinics (McDonough Housing Project and East Side Family Clinic).
Two educational sessions were developed for two main audiences. For sessions with non-literate and non-formally educated Hmong adults, an oral curriculum that built upon traditional concepts of heredity, and added new scientific concepts of cells, and chromosomes and genes was developed. Interactive dialogue, discussion, overheads, and the two booklets were used. Hmong adults were encouraged to take the booklets home and share them with their English literate adult children. For sessions with literate and educated Hmong adults (mostly college students), a presentation about the importance of family histories and genetic diseases that followed the two booklets and accompanied the informed consent process of the genomic research project was created. Generally, the educated college students were interested and eager to participate in the research project while the middle-aged and elderly adults were more hesitant.
Click to return to Community Centered Family Health History Program Awardees.
Click to return to Family Health History.
