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The effect of genetic test‐based risk information on behavioral outcomes: A critical examination of failed trials and a call to action
Author(s) -
Austin Jehannine
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.064
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1552-4833
pISSN - 1552-4825
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.a.37289
Subject(s) - genetic testing , disease , action (physics) , test (biology) , medicine , risk analysis (engineering) , smoking cessation , psychology , pathology , biology , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics
Encouraging individuals at risk for common complex disease like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes to adopt lifestyle changes (e.g., smoking cessation, exercise, proper nutrition, increased screening) could be powerful public health tools to decrease the enormous personal and economic burden of these conditions. Theoretically, genetic risk information appears to be a compelling tool that could be used to provoke at‐risk individuals to adopt these lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, however, numerous studies now have shown that providing individuals with genetic test‐based risk information has little to no impact on their behavior. In this article (a commentary not a systematic review), the failed trials in which genetic information has been used as a tool to induce behavior change will be critically examined in order to identify new and potentially more effective ways forward. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.