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The 5th ELSI Congress - ELSIcon2022

ELSIcon2022 Paper: Interest in genetic testing offered as part of routine healthcare among an ethnically diverse sample of young women

Type
Conference

ELSIcon2022 • Paper • May 27, 2022

Jemar Bather, Daniel Chavez-Yenter, Brianne Daly, Alexis Vega, Wendy Kohlmann, Kimberly Kaphingst

Prior research has examined interest in genetic testing among patients and the public, but less is known about interest in genetic testing offered in routine clinical care or among diverse populations. We examined interest in receiving cancer predisposition testing (CPT) and expanded carrier screening (ECS) among an ethnically diverse sample. We conducted an online English-language survey of 450 individuals aged 20-35 identifying as female. We examined two interest outcomes: level of interest in CPT and ECS on a seven-point Likert scale and interest in having each test in the next year if offered. We examined predictors of interest in multivariable logistic regression models. About 50% of respondents identified as white and 39% as Latinx. Overall, 26% reported being “very interested” in CPT and 27% in ECS. Latinx participants were significantly more likely to be very interested in CPT (p<0.03) and there was a trend toward higher interest in ECS (p=0.051). For interest in having testing in the next year, 55% reported they would have CPT and 56% ECS. In multivariable models, higher genetic worry, higher genetic knowledge, perceived higher importance of genetic information, higher health consciousness, and higher health literacy were significant predictors of greater interest in testing. Our findings provide support for offering CPT and ECS to young women as part of routine healthcare. In offering these genetic tests, it will be critical to develop educational approaches that are effective for those with less genetic knowledge and lower health literacy to support informed decision making.

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Keywords
Uptake of genetic testing
health disparities
Paper
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