Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Bio-banking among Native Hawaiians

BACKGROUND: There is great interest in building population-based genetic repositories of data and tissue samples to advance the development of target therapies or personalized medicine. Having high-quality bio-specimens is critical to advancing personalized medicine and translational research. Biospecimens repositories should include representative samples from minority and underserved communities, and understanding how diverse people view bio-specimen collection is an important first step. Limited data exist, however, on the cognitive and cultural factors that affect the receptivity of Native Hawaiians to bio-specimen collection. METHODS: Questions on biospecimen collection and research were developed by a Native Hawaiian research team and added to a population-based survey to profile attitudes, cultural beliefs, and practices of Native Hawaiians in Hawai‘i as compared to their Filipino, Caucasian, and Japanese counterparts (n=1,200). RESULTS: Native Hawaiian knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to the collection of bio-specimens differ significantly from other race groups in Hawaii. These differences remained after adjusting for income, education, employment and health status. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of this research are relevant and useful to Native Hawaiian communities and emerging facilities and will inform the development of culturally relevant education interventions and recruitment/accrual/research protocols.