Family health risk message and social influence within families of Mexican origin: Motivations to change health behaviors

Increasing efforts are being made to use family history-based risk assessments to motivate health behavior changes. Previous studies focused on cancer screenings, and limited knowledge exists regarding potential impacts of such assessments on other lifestyle behaviors. Family health risk when assessed within the familial social context often leads to increased communication among members; social interactions within families have been shown to impact members' health behaviors. This study examines whether motivations to change lifestyle behaviors are associated with the provision of family history-based risk assessments and the presence of social influence within families. Participants, 475 individuals from 161 multi-generational Mexican American families, provided family health information and received personalized feedback that included one or more of the following: family pedigree depicting health history, tailored health risk information, and personalized behavioral recommendations. Approximately 3 months later, participants reported on their motivations to change behaviors and their social network systems. Participants who received a family history-based health risk message indicating their increased risk for heart disease and/or diabetes were more likely to be motivated to eat more fruits and vegetables (p=.02). Having at least one network member who encourages participants to eat more fruits and vegetables (p=.01) and to engage in regular physical activity (p=.05) were significantly associated with motivation to change the relevant behavior. Provision of behavioral recommendations was not associated with motivations. Efforts to motivate behavioral change that utilize family units and health risk assessments based on family history may be efficacious. Implications for future research and practice will be presented.