Health, 2016, 8, 325-335 Published Online February 2016 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/health http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/health.2016.84034 How to cite this paper: Rooks, R.N. and Ford, C.D. (2016) Family Health History and Behavioral Change among Undergra- duate Students: A Mixed Methods Study. Health, 8, 325-335. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/health.2016.84034 Family Health History and Behavioral Change among Undergraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Study Ronica N. Rooks 1* , Cassandra D. Ford 2 1 Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, USA 2 The Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA Received 20 January 2016; accepted 23 February 2016; published 26 February 2016 Copyright © 2016 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract Background: We examined family health history (FHH) as a public health intervention tool in un- dergraduate students. We hypothesized that the FHH assignment would positively relate to stu- dents’ FHH knowledge and health and healthcare-seeking behavioral change. Methods: Health professional students’ (n = 103) pre/post-test surveys and research papers were collected in 2011-2012, from a mid-western and southern university in the United States of America, using mixed methods research. Results: The majority of students were aged 18 - 30, women, White, had healthcare access and health insurance, and awareness of the term FHH. Significant logistic re- gression relationships existed between: 1) helping students understand important strengths and weaknesses in their health and quality of life and outcomes of talking with family and doctors about FHH; and 2) improving students’ understanding of what they needed to do to maintain their health and the outcome statement “FHH tells you about inherited genes.” Key themes from the re- search papers included actions and FHH and proposed behavioral changes. Conclusions: Quantita- tive findings supported the relationship between students’ assignment evaluation and knowledge change, while qualitative findings supported relationships between assignment evaluation and knowledge and behavioral change. This study highlights regional differences in students’ FHH and the need to address family support barriers to behavioral change. Keywords Family Health History, Health Behaviors, Undergraduate Students, Health Professionals * Corresponding author.