Survey Says Consumers Wary of Genetic Tests  

As more companies enter the consumer genetic-test market, a new survey of business professionals suggests that Americans remain wary of these tests, the benefits they offer, and the personal risks users may encounter. A survey recently found that the majority of consumers are reluctant to use a genetic test in the near future to assess the hereditary risk for certain diseases, such as any type of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or asthma. The Personalized Medicine and Wellness Survey was issued by Burrill & Co., a San Francisco-based life sciences merchant bank, and ChangeWave Research, a market research firm.

The survey results are based on responses obtained from 550 business professionals to questions about several health-related issues, including personal genetic tests. Only 5% of respondents said they would be very likely to measure their genetic risk for certain diseases, while 15% said they would be likely to get a genetic test.

A key finding of the survey is that makers of genetic tests need to provide actionable information to consumers. Also, despite the recent signing into law of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), consumers remain concerned about their genetic privacy. Other concerns were the cost of genetic tests; that GINA protection does not include the areas of life and disability insurance; and that physicians remain the most likely source of information about genetic testing.

When asked about whom they would be willing to give access to their genetic test results, 72% said a spouse or partner, and 71% said their physician; 22% said they would share the information with research institutions for research purposes, but only 3% would share the results with insurance companies, and 2% said they would share it with their employer or a life insurance company.

Although more than half of the survey participants said that cancer and/or heart disease—the leading causes of death in the U.S.—are matters of concern, only 4% of the group said they have had a genetic test to assess disease risk. Two-thirds of those who have undergone genetic testing did so at the behest of a physician. The executive summary of the report is available online.