# Comparing Game Facilitated Interactivity to Genetic Counseling for Prenatal Screening Education

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2021 · $708,048

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Advancements in prenatal genetic screening have significantly improved the identification of chromosomal
abnormalities and heritable conditions during pregnancy, yet current standards for patient education in this
domain are largely ineffective. Further, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends
prenatal care providers offer all women prenatal genetic screening in the first trimester of pregnancy,
regardless of age or genetic risk status. This has moved the focus of prenatal screening from a subset of higher
risk couples to all pregnant couples. Classically, information in the clinic has been transferred by written
materials and discussions with providers. This approach has a number of weaknesses, including limited time,
biases presented by provider perceptions of risk level, and limited genetic knowledge of clinicians. These
factors may also contribute to disparities in screening uptake among under-represented populations during
pregnancy. The most effective approach to education about prenatal screening, is one-on-one genetic
counseling, but due to the limited number of counselors this is not feasible, especially in rural and frontier
areas. New innovative education games offer promise to more effectively address gaps in healthcare decision-
making. About 59% of all Americans play video games and most of them play for at least three hours per
week. In fact, women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population
(44%) than boys 18 or younger (17%). Game technology can display complex information in a culturally and
linguistically appropriate format to individuals of diverse educational backgrounds that make them ideal for
clinical settings especially among low health literacy populations. Aim 1: To compare the effectiveness of a
prenatal screening education game to improve knowledge and reduce decisional conflict among
underrepresented women with a diverse range of health literacy levels of pregnant women. Aim 2: To assess
the effectiveness of the prenatal screening education game to promote shared decision making with providers
compared to enhanced usual care (an interactive pdf of the clinic's brochure) or one-on-one genetic counseling
(in-person or tele-health). Aim 3: To compare the effectiveness of a prenatal screening education game to
improve knowledge and reduce decisional conflict among partners of pregnant women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10293056
- **Project number:** 1R01HG011921-01
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIN ROTHWELL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $708,048
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10293056

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10293056, Comparing Game Facilitated Interactivity to Genetic Counseling for Prenatal Screening Education (1R01HG011921-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10293056. Licensed CC0.

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