Families’ communication could be a factor in health

We are all dealt a unique genetic “deck of cards” that determines our strengths and weaknesses relating to health and disease risks. As a group, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than those of European or Asian heritage. This may be due to genetic, dietary, socioeconomic and/or environmental conditions.

If we live life similar to the way our parents and grandparents did, we are likely to have similar health issues (or lack of issues). However, if we have a different lifestyle, including different dietary and physical activity habits, health and life span can be better or worse.

Question: How does communication between generations affect health?

Answer: In a rapidly changing world, people have extremely different lifestyles as compared to how their parents and grandparents lived. Some of this difference is due to changes in demands of the modern environment, and a gradual decline in the passing of family knowledge from one generation to the next.

It is not clear how older and younger generations in families influence each other’s health decisions and adoption of healthy lifestyle habits. The traditional “older to younger” family member pathway of sharing knowledge seems to have changed in many ways. Since we now know much more about the value of good nutrition and healthy lifestyles, intergenerational sharing is essential. Consequently, it has become difficult to tell which generation is the most influential when it comes to health at key developmental stages of the life cycle.

Ultimately, family health can be enhanced or harmed by the dynamics of generational communication. Traditional knowledge that has weathered the test of time might take a back seat to new, popular ideas that may actually be misinformation. When something is new and repeatedly stated as a truth, it typically becomes accepted as the truth. Politicians know this better than anyone. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was quoted as saying, “Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”

Q: How can intergenerational communication about health avoid this misinformation pitfall?

A: There is no clear answer to this question. However, the first step is learning more about intergenerational information flow dynamics. Recognizing the potential importance of family communication about topics like food, diet and physical activity, Dr. Barbara Yee, a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, designed a project to better understand the dynamics of how health information is shared within Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families.

“Our ‘Ohana Talk Story about Health and Wellness’ study will help us understand modern family sharing dynamics in ways that will lead to better approaches to effective health promotion programs,” Yee said.

Working with researcher Colin Kekoa Wills, who recently earned his Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences at Manoa, Yee is seeking to talk story with Hawaiian and Pacific Islander family members. Ideally, they would like to meet with family members from three (or two) generations within each family.

With both having Hawaiian ancestry, Yee and Wills bring a personal interest and experience to the project. Those interested in participating in the study can contact Wills at cwills@hawaii.edu or call 224-5364.

Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.