Parents Favor Gene Tests for Their Children, Study Finds
Parents Favor Gene Tests for Their Children, Study Finds
Tests Inform Parents of Children's Risk for Certain Diseases
April 18, 2011 -- Tests that reveal children’s genetic risks for common diseases may soon become a popular choice among parents, even though the usefulness of the tests remains in question, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.
The increasingly popular tests are often marketed as a means to motivate people to make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of diseases for which the tests show they are at risk. But there’s no evidence to back such claims. The tests are available over the counter and on the Internet.
“This is a new frontier for health care providers and for families,” says study author Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “It’s an open question on how they will be incorporated into a primary care setting.”
But as the popularity and proliferation of the tests continue to grow, the study authors predict more pediatricians will be called upon to interpret the results of such tests, informing parents of their child’s risks for diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and different types of cancer. That new role could be problematic.
“This is not something that most pediatricians are trained for, and, frankly, it could be a huge problem,” says Marshall L. Summar, MD, chief of genetics and metabolism at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “We’re trying to figure out how to gear up.”
Tercyak and his team of researchers surveyed 219 parents who were participants in a project funded by the NIH’s National Human Genome Initiative. In addition to being offered the opportunity to be tested for their own genetic risk for common diseases, parents were asked whether they would be interested in having their child tested. They were also asked how well they understood the risks and benefits of such testing.
The researchers found that parents who opted to take the tests themselves were more likely to be willing to have their children tested, especially if they anticipated a positive outcome.
Parents Favor Gene Tests for Their Children, Study Finds
Tests Inform Parents of Children's Risk for Certain Diseases
April 18, 2011 -- Tests that reveal children’s genetic risks for common diseases may soon become a popular choice among parents, even though the usefulness of the tests remains in question, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.
The increasingly popular tests are often marketed as a means to motivate people to make lifestyle changes to prevent the onset of diseases for which the tests show they are at risk. But there’s no evidence to back such claims. The tests are available over the counter and on the Internet.
“This is a new frontier for health care providers and for families,” says study author Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “It’s an open question on how they will be incorporated into a primary care setting.”
But as the popularity and proliferation of the tests continue to grow, the study authors predict more pediatricians will be called upon to interpret the results of such tests, informing parents of their child’s risks for diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and different types of cancer. That new role could be problematic.
“This is not something that most pediatricians are trained for, and, frankly, it could be a huge problem,” says Marshall L. Summar, MD, chief of genetics and metabolism at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “We’re trying to figure out how to gear up.”
Genetic Testing: How Useful?
Tercyak and his team of researchers surveyed 219 parents who were participants in a project funded by the NIH’s National Human Genome Initiative. In addition to being offered the opportunity to be tested for their own genetic risk for common diseases, parents were asked whether they would be interested in having their child tested. They were also asked how well they understood the risks and benefits of such testing.
The researchers found that parents who opted to take the tests themselves were more likely to be willing to have their children tested, especially if they anticipated a positive outcome.
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