Genomic Health Literacy

Part 2 of our Health Literacy Month series- Genetics has become more prominent in the news in recent years. Sometimes it looks like great scientific advancement and other times it can look a little unsettling and seem like something out of science fiction. Genomic health literacy is becoming increasingly important as precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, and direct-to-consumer genetic testing and other genetic associated topics are emerging at the intersection between health and genetics, and consumers need access to information about these and other related topics in a manner that is understandable. It has been noted that many Americans do not have the genomic literacy levels needed to start comprehending what genetics has to do with health. The general public’s understanding of basic biology especially in regards to genetics and understanding of mathematical concepts in regards to probability theory, risks and statistics is no-where near adequate to where they can comprehend the recent scientific advances and achievements especially in regards to the genomic component. Also, the public needs to consider the role that genomics plays in healthcare decision making, lifestyle changes, family history as well as the social and ethical aspects. If the public cannot understand this then its impact on their health behavior may be little to none.  Many people who have lower genomic health literacy may also have low health literacy or low literacy in general. You may have noticed ...
Source: Dragonfly - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Health Literacy/Consumer Health genetics genomics Source Type: news