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Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding Genetic Testing and Genetic Counselors in Jordan: A Population‐Based Survey
Author(s) -
Ahram Mamoun,
Soubani Majd,
Abu Salem Lana,
Saker Haneen,
Ahmad Muayyad
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1007/s10897-015-9839-3
Subject(s) - genetic testing , genetic counseling , test (biology) , medicine , population , family medicine , public health , predictive testing , nursing , genetics , environmental health , biology , paleontology
Genetic testing has a potential in the prevention of genetic diseases, particularly in communities with high rates of consanguineous marriage. Therefore, knowledge, practice, and attitudes of the public in Jordan regarding genetic testing were investigated. Individuals ( N = 3,196) were questioned about the concepts of genetic testing and genetic counselors, if they underwent any genetic tests, the type of test, the method of consenting to the test, as well as their level of satisfaction with the privacy of the genetic testing service. The likelihood of pursuing predictive genetic testing for cancer was also investigated. Although almost 70 % of respondents knew the term “genetic testing,” only 18 % had undergone genetic testing, primarily the mandatory premarital test. In addition, there was a lack of general knowledge about genetic counselors. Many of those who had genetic testing (45 %) indicated they did not go through a consent process, and a lack of consent was significantly related to dissatisfaction with the privacy of the service. Approximately 55 % of respondents indicated they would potentially pursue predictive genetic testing for cancer. Going for routine health checkups was not significantly correlated with either actual or potential uptake of genetic testing, suggesting health care providers do not play an influential role in patients’ testing decisions. Our results show a gap between the knowledge and uptake of genetic testing and may help to guide the design of effective strategies to initiate successful genetic counseling and testing services.