Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42421311›Full record

ArticleHGG advances2026

Psychometric validation of the education and assessment of genetic literacy or the EAGL measure.

Lily S Barna, Yi Liao, Michael R Wierzbicki, Gabriela M Ramírez-Renta, Kimberly A Kaphingst, Chris Gunter

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in HGG advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lily S BarnaEngagement Methods Unit, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Yi LiaoHuntsman Cancer Institute and Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
Michael R WierzbickiEmmes Company, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
Gabriela M Ramírez-RentaEngagement Methods Unit, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, Aurora, CO 13001, USA.
Kimberly A KaphingstHuntsman Cancer Institute and Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
Chris GunterEngagement Methods Unit, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Office of the Director, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: chris.gunter@nih.gov.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Genetic literacy is an integral measure for examining society's interaction with genetics, but widely used "genetic literacy" measures lack both knowledge comprehension measures and psychometric validation. To address these issues, we validated the education and assessment of genetic literacy (EAGL) measure in 2,708 US English-speaking general public participants, using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In addition to standard subjective and objective knowledge subscales, our measure's distinct knowledge comprehension subscale focuses on autism as an example of a complex condition. Regression analyses showed a statistically significant interaction when looking at education and personal connection to autism in relation to knowledge comprehension (F = 3.68, p = 0.003). Separately, those in our sample with a connection to autism scored higher only on the subjective knowledge section (F = 19.52, p < 0.001), concurring with previous demonstrations of a subjective-objective knowledge gap in science literacy. We then explored geographic location as one potential factor in genetic literacy and found that, contrary to expectations, metropolitan vs. non-metropolitan status had no significant main effects on literacy levels. After the validation process, we have two multi-domain measures that accurately capture the construct of genetic literacy and are available for wide use: the 46-question EAGL-long, which has previously been tested with thousands of participants, and the validated 17-question EAGL-short. The instruments will allow researchers to accurately gauge the complex genetic literacy levels of any population they wish to survey, helping to create more targeted and productive genetic communication interventions and educational materials.

Indexed as

autismconstruct validitygenetic counselinggenetic literacygenomic literacyhealth communicationknowledge comprehensionnumeracypsychometricssurvey validation

Identifiers

PMID42421311
PMCPMC13396853

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.