Family Health History Campaign: A Collaborative Model for Customizable Public Service Announcements

Family health history presents an accessible way for individuals to be proactive about reducing their health risks, yet many are unaware of its immediate importance. Genetic Alliance partnered with The American Society of Human Genetics and WJLA-TV ABC7, the local Washington D.C. affiliate, to launch a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to raise awareness about the importance of family health history. The campaign team recruited participants of various ages and ethnic backgrounds, with a family history of cancer, diabetes, and/or heart disease to be filmed for the PSA. The team launched a campaign splash page, a website, and held a phone bank to reach the D.C. community. Outreach to local health organizations resulted in mass promotion of the campaign, which generated over 1.9 million broadcast impressions, more than 1.2 million online impressions, and 162 calls during the live call-in phone bank. The most frequently asked questions during the phone bank were: (1) What is family health history? (52 inquiries); (2) Where can I find more resources about family health history? (40 inquiries); and (3) How do I collect my family health history? (39 inquiries). Based on public response to the campaign thus far, family health history is seen as a health risk reduction tool, though under utilized by many populations. Yet, the creation of customizable tools, such as this campaign, will enable widespread initiatives to improve public perception. Plans are underway to develop free customizable PSA campaign footage that will be distributed in markets across the United States.