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Teaching gene-environment interaction concepts with narrative vignettes: Effects on knowledge, stigma, and behavior
Junhan Chen1, Alison Jane Martingano2, Siri Ravuri1
1Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States of America.
Plos One
|May 9, 2024
Summary
Understanding gene-environment interaction (GxE) is key for complex diseases. Educational interventions improved GxE knowledge and reduced stigma by tailoring messages to individual eating tendencies, showing promise for future public health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Genetics and Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Background:
- Gene-environment interaction (GxE) is crucial for understanding complex disease etiology and health behaviors.
- Communicating intricate GxE concepts effectively to the public presents a significant educational challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and evaluate an educational intervention for communicating GxE concepts related to eating behavior and weight.
- To assess the intervention's impact on knowledge, stigma, and motivation for behavior change.
- To explore the effects of different GxE framing strategies and individual trait matching on intervention efficacy.
Main Methods:
- An experiment with four GxE education conditions and one control group.
- Participants viewed videos explaining GxE concepts and narrative vignettes illustrating GxE in eating behavior (reward vs. taste perception; genetic vs. environmental framing).
- Statistical analyses, including mediation, examined intervention effects on knowledge, causal attributions, empathy, stigma, and behavior motivation.
Main Results:
- The GxE educational intervention significantly increased knowledge of GxE, attributions to genetic causes, and empathetic concern.
- Mediation analyses identified causal attributions (genetics, willpower) as key drivers of stigma and eating behavior outcomes.
- Tailoring GxE frames to individual eating tendencies showed potential for enhanced intervention impact, such as reducing stigma.
Conclusions:
- GxE educational interventions can improve understanding and reduce stigma associated with complex health behaviors like eating.
- Targeting specific causal beliefs and tailoring educational frames to individual attributes are promising strategies for optimizing intervention effectiveness.
- Future interventions should consider personalized GxE communication to address complex disease risk and promote health behaviors.
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