==== Front Prev Chronic Dis Prev Chronic Dis PCD Preventing Chronic Disease 1545-1151 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 33211995 20_0257 10.5888/pcd17.200257 Original Research Peer ReviewedPrevalence and Correlates of Family Cancer History Knowledge and Communication Among US Adults Krakow Melinda PhD MPH 1 Rising Camella J. PhD MS RDN 2 Trivedi Neha PhD MPH 2 Yoon Dahye C. BS 3 Vanderpool Robin C. DrPH 2 1 John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 2 Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 3 Georgetown University, Washington, DC Corresponding Author: Melinda Krakow, PhD, MPH, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 State Street, Jackson MS 39216. Telephone: 510-847-6437. Email: melinda.krakow@gmail.com. 2020 19 11 2020 17 E1462020 Preventing Chronic Disease is a publication of the U.S. Government. This publication is in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. All text from this work may be reprinted freely. Use of these materials should be properly cited. Introduction Knowing one’s family cancer history (FCH) plays an important role in cancer prevention. Communicating health histories with relatives can increase awareness about familial cancer risk and aid health care providers in personalizing cancer prevention recommendations. Methods This study used data from the National Cancer Institute’s 2018 Health Information National Trends Survey. We calculated frequencies and weighted population estimates for key FCH communication variables. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between sociodemographic characteristics and FCH communication. Results Findings provide the first nationally representative estimates of FCH communication. Less than one-third (31.1%) of the population reported knowing FCH very well, 70.0% had discussed FCH with at least 1 biological relative, 39.0% had discussed FCH with a health care provider, and 22.2% reported being completely confident in completing FCH on medical forms. Findings also identified key demographic factors, including sex, household income, education level, and race and ethnicity, associated with these FCH measures among the US adult population. Conclusion Results can be used to target and tailor FCH communication interventions for patients, families, and providers. ==== Body Summary What is already known on this topic? Knowing one’s family cancer history (FCH) plays an important role in cancer prevention. Communicating health histories with relatives can increase awareness about familial cancer risk, and aid health care providers in personalizing cancer prevention recommendations. What is added by this report? This study provides the first nationally representative estimates of FCH knowledge, communication, and confidence completing FCH on medical forms. Findings also identify key demographic factors associated with these FCH measures in the US adult population. What are the implications for public health practice? Study findings can be used to target and tailor FCH communication interventions for patient populations, families, and providers. Introduction A person’s family health history encompasses a complex set of shared genetic, behavioral, and environmental risk factors that can influence health among biological relatives. Knowing one’s family health history can help identify the risk of hereditary diseases such as cancer, where 5% to 10% of cases are inherited (1,2). For example, people with a family history of colorectal, breast, ovarian, or uterine cancers may be at higher risk for these cancers than people without a family history and should speak to a physician about this history (2,3). A documented family cancer history (FCH) is a record of cancer diagnoses among family members that can be used to trace patterns of disease and identify family members who may benefit from changes in lifestyle, genetic counseling, and earlier or more frequent routine cancer screening (4). For example, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends women with a first-degree relative with breast cancer begin screening in their forties, rather than age 50, the age recommended for women without this history (5). However, to benefit from screening recommendations, people must know their FCH and be able to share this information with health care providers (6). Some families do not communicate about or know their FCH despite the potential benefits of sharing this information (7–14). To date, no nationally representative estimates exist of the prevalence of FCH communication or associated demographic factors among the US adult population. To address this gap, we analyzed data from the 2018 National Cancer Institute (NCI) Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) (https://hints.cancer.gov). Our first study aim was to describe the prevalence of reported FCH knowledge, FCH communication with biological relatives, FCH communication with a health care provider, and confidence completing FCH on medical forms among the US adult population. Our second study aim was to identify demographic correlates of FCH knowledge, FCH communication with biological relatives, FCH communication with a health care provider, and confidence completing FCH on medical forms. Understanding these correlates may inform approaches to targeting and tailoring interventions to help patients, families, providers, and health care systems foster FCH communication to enable personalized cancer preventive care. Methods We analyzed data from NCI HINTS 5, Cycle 2 (N = 3,504); data for this survey were collected from January through May 2018 using a sampling frame of all nonvacant residential addresses. HINTS is a nationally representative, population-based survey of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults in US households. The paper-and-pencil survey is administered annually via mail to collect information on health communication and health behaviors of the general public. Administration of the HINTS survey was approved by the Westat Institutional Review Board and deemed exempt from review by the National Institutes of Health Office of Human Subjects Research. HINTS survey instruments, data sets, and detailed survey methodology reports are available at hints.cancer.gov. HINTS collected data on the following demographic characteristics: sex (male or female), age (18–34, 35–49, 50–64, 65–74, ≥75 y), marital status (married/partnered or not married/partnered), annual household income (0–$19,999, $20,000–$34,999, $35,000–$49,999, $50,000–$74,999, ≥$75,000), education ($75,000, 39.2%) (Table 1). Just over half (52.5%) of the population reported being married or partnered. Most (90.6%) did not report a personal history of cancer. Table 1 Weighted Population Estimates (N = 3,504) for Demographic Characteristics, Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 2, 2018 Characteristic No.a (Weighted %) Sex Male 1,310 (49.0) Female 1,913 (51.0) Age, y 18–34 406 (23.6) 35–49 658 (26.7) 50–64 1,113 (30.4) 65–74 736 (11.3) ≥75 504 (8.1) Marital status Married or partnered 1,747 (52.5) Not married or partnered 1,702 (47.5) Annual household income, $ 0–19,999 579 (17.6) 20,000–34,999 428 (11.8) 35,000–49,999 404 (13.5) 50,000–74,999 567 (17.8) ≥75,000 1,109 (39.2) Education