Evaluating rural Ethiopian youths’ willingness and competency to be literacy builders for G x E influences on podoconiosis

Introduction: Engaging youth as peer educators has yet to be considered in the context of promoting literacy concerning conjoint genetic and environmental (GxE) influences on health conditions. Whether youth living in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) could and would be willing to serve as lay educators of GxE education is unclear. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of youth living in Southern Ethiopia was conducted from August to September 2017. Trained data collectors administered the survey on 377 randomly selected youth who ranged in age from 15-24; 52% were female and 95% reported having some formal education. Self-reported willingness and a constructed competency score were assessed. Bivariate analyses tested for factors associated with willingness and competency to serve as lay GxE literacy builders. Results: Competency and willingness were significantly greater (p<0.05) for youth who: were male, had some formal education, and had civic or leadership experience. Differences in median willingness were significant for youth who scored as more competent versus those who scored as less competent (p<0.001). There were no characteristics that moderated the association of competency with willingness. Conclusion: Youth peer educator programs could hold promise for disseminating improved GxE literacy among LMICs. Thoughtful recruitment and training strategies will be needed to ensure that the broadest representation of youth