2005 Survey on Public Support for Genetics
Strategic marketing research firm, Cogent Research, has just released results from the 2005 Survey on Public Support for Genetics (CGAT - pretty clever acronym).
Key findings from the study include (and my comments in italics):
- Americans believe diet and exercise influence health more than genetics (Even with genetic information, diet and exercise are largely what we can control.)
- Americans fear that their DNA information will be misused and their genetic privacy violated. They are also worried that too much information on their genetic profile would stress them out. (I feel the same.)
- Americans worry that if insurance companies know their genetic profile, their coverage will be affected negatively. But, they still want insurance companies to pay for DNA tests. (Can we say hypocrites?)
- Americans understand “genetics” and “personalized medicine” more than “genomics.” (I didn’t really know the precise difference between “genetics” and “genomics” until recently.)
- Americans don’t really care about basic research, they want useful genetic information for detecting, preventing, and curing disease. (But where do they think useful genetic information comes from? BASIC RESEARCH.)
Edward Abrahams, Ph.D., executive director of the Personalized Medicine Coalition:
If we want Americans to see the potential for genetics and personalized medicine, and then adopt them as part of their healthcare regimen, we have to better educate them about how the application of genetic information in diagnostics, prevention and medicine will greatly impact both their overall health and the treatment options that are available to them.
The Genetics and Public Health Blog is reporting for duty.
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