We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Health Family Trees: A Tool for Finding and Helping Young Family Members of Coronary and Cancer Prone Pedigrees in Texas and Utah.
- Authors
Williams, Roger R.; Hunt, Steven C.; Barlow, Gary K.; Chamberlain, Robert M.; Weinberg, Armin D.; Cooper, Paul; Carbonari, Joseph P.; Gotto Jr., Antonio M.
- Abstract
Abstract: We report on the feasibility and utility of a new approach for identifying the small percentage of families in the general population with strong familial predisposition to early coronary heart disease, strokes, and common familial cancers (breast, colon, lung), using the "Health Family Tree," a medical family history. A total of 24,332 "trees" were completed by parents and students in 37 high schools in 14 urban and rural communities in Texas and Utah during the years 1980-86. Completed "trees" were obtained from 68 per ¢ of all enrolled students. High-risk families, included 1,796 families with early coronary disease (7.5 per ¢ of all student families or 3.7 per ¢ of their parents' families), 870 stroke families (3.6 per ¢), and 415 cancer prone families (1.7 per ¢). Among these 3,081 high-risk families there were 8,245 family members already reported to have been diagnosed by a physician to have the familial disease of interest and 43,269 high risk unaffected siblings and offspring of these persons. The average cost per identified high-risk unaffected person was under $10. We conclude that the "Health Family Tree" is a feasible and cost-effective way to find high-risk families. (Am J Public Health 1988; 78:1283-1286.)
- Subjects
UNITED States; FAMILIAL diseases; FAMILIES; GENEALOGY; CORONARY disease; FAMILY health; MEDICAL care costs; FAMILY medicine
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 1988, Vol 78, Issue 10, p1283
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.78.10.1283