Multiple Measures Reveal The Value of Both Race And Geographic Ancestry For Self-Identification

Damotte, V.; Zhao, C.; Lin, C.; Williams, E.; Louzoun, Y.; Madbouly, A.; Kotlarz, R.; McDaniel, M.; Norman, P. J.; Lizee, A.; Myres, N. M.; Ball, C. A.; Chahine, K. G.; Byrnes, J.; Wang, Y.; Maiers, M.; Hollenbach, J. A.

doi:10.1101/701698

bioRxiv · 10.1101/701698

Multiple Measures Reveal The Value of Both Race And Geographic Ancestry For Self-Identification

Damotte, V.·Zhao, C.·Lin, C.·Williams, E.·Louzoun, Y.·Madbouly, A.·Kotlarz, R.·McDaniel, M.·Norman, P. J.·Lizee, A.·Myres, N. M.·Ball, C. A.·Chahine, K. G.·Byrnes, J.·Wang, Y.·Maiers, M.·Hollenbach, J. A.

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Abstract

There is long-standing tension regarding whether and how to use race or geographic ancestry in biomedical research. We examined multiple self-reported measures of race and ancestry from a cohort of over 100,000 U.S. residents alongside genetic data. We found that these measures are often non-overlapping, and that no single self-reported measure alone provides a better fit to genetic ancestry than a combination including both race and geographic ancestry. We also found that patterns of reporting for race and ancestry appear to be influenced by participation in direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry testing. Our results demonstrate that there is a place for the language of both race and geographic ancestry as we seek to empower individuals to fully describe their family history in research and medicine.\n\nOne Sentence SummarySelf-identification in the United States according to both racial and geographic terms best reflects genetic ancestry in individuals.

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Damotte, V., Zhao, C., Lin, C., Williams, E., Louzoun, Y., Madbouly, A., Kotlarz, R., McDaniel, M., Norman, P. J., Lizee, A., Myres, N. M., Ball, C. A., Chahine, K. G., Byrnes, J., Wang, Y., Maiers, M., Hollenbach, J. A.. 2019-07-13. Multiple Measures Reveal The Value of Both Race And Geographic Ancestry For Self-Identification. https://doi.org/10.1101/701698

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