Perceived Barriers to Internet-Based Health Communication on Human Genetics

The Internet has emerged as potential vehicle for distributing health communication to millions of individuals because it is interactive, user controlled, and offers breadth and depth of information. However, its widespread use by the public may be limited due to three overarching concerns: privacy and confidentiality, information accuracy and perceptions of credibility, including limited credibility of some government-sponsored web sites. To explore the potential of using the Internet, especially for delivering information on human genetics communication, 15 focus groups and one interview were conducted with African American and European American adult males and females in a southeastern town. We found that the participants recognized great potential in the Internet for health communication on human genetics, but they also voiced concerns about the credibility and accuracy of online information, lack of trust in many web sites, and fear of safeguarding privacy. Their concerns are summarized here, along with potential remedies health communicators could implement and should research further. The Internet cannot achieve its full potential for human genetics communication until the public's concerns are addressed and resolved.