Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Predictors of uptake of obesity genetic testing among affected adults

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
Human Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given that a large number of candidate genes coding for a tendency toward obesity have been identified and some findings have been replicated, we explored characteristics of those who would be most likely to obtain future genetic testing for this tendency. During a series of focus groups, obese respondents rated their likelihood of obtaining testing under conditions in which either genetically-targeted drug treatment would be available, a positive test would be associated with a prognosis for developing diabetes, or neither of these. Interest in testing was greater given the first two scenarios than the third. Older age and belief that genetics were an important cause of obesity were associated with greater interest. For the first two scenarios, higher educational status was associated with greater interest, while for the third, respondents who said emotional issues caused overweight and those who crash-dieted intermittently were more likely to want genetic testing. Although further research is required to validate these findings, this study is the first published report of respondents’ ratings of likelihood to obtain genetic testing for propensity to obesity, and suggests strong interest in genetic testing among some people, even in the absence of further treatment implications of the test.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrykowski MA, Munn R, Studts JL (1996) Interest in learning of personal genetic risk for cancer: a general population survey. Prev Med 25:527–536

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andrykowski MA, Lightner R, Studts JL, Munn RK (1997) Hereditary cancer risk notification and testing: How interested is the general population? J Clin Oncol 15:2139–2148

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong K, Weber B, Ubel P, Guerra C, Schwartz JS (2002) Interest in brca 1/2 testing in a primary care population. Prev Med 34:590–595

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong K, Micco E, Carney A, Stopfer J, Putt M (2005) Racial differences in the use of brca 1/2 testing among women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. JAMA 293:1729–1736

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett J (2000) Optimistic bias in adolescent and adult smokers and nonsmokers. Addict Behav 25:625–632

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barsh GS, Farooqi IS, O’Rahilly S (2000) Genetics of body-weight regulation. Nature 404:644–651

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister R, Heatherton T (1996) Self-regulation failure: an overview. Psychol Inq 7:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister R, DeWall C, Ciarocco N, Twenge J (2005) Social exclusion impairs self-regulation. J Personal Soc Psychol 88:589–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell SK, Morgan SB (2000) Children’s attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a peer presented as obese: does a medical explanation for the obesity make a difference? J Pediatr Psychol 25:137–145

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Biesecker B, Garber J (1995) Testing and counseling adults for heritable cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 17:115–118

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biesecker B, Ishibe N, Hadley D, Giambarresi T, Kase R, Lerman C, Struewing J (2000) Psychosocial factors predicting brca1/brca2 testing decisions in members of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families. Am J Med Genetics 9333:257–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bjorntorp P (2001) Do stress reactions cause abdominal obesity and comorbidities? Obes Rev 2:73–86

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bottorff J, Ratner P, Balneaves C, Richardson M, Hack T, Chalmers K, Buxton J (2002) Women’s interest in genetic testing for breast cancer risk: the influence of sociodemographics and knowledge. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 11:89–95

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cappelli M, Surh L, Humphreys L, Verma S, Logan D, Hunter A et al (1999) Psychological and social determinants of women’s decisions to undergo genetic counseling and testing for breast cancer. Clin Genetics 55:419–430

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cash T, Wood C, Phelps K, Boyd K (1991) New assessments of weight-related body image derived from extant instruments. Percept Mot Skills 73

  • Crandall CS (1994) Prejudice against fat people: Ideology and self-interest. J Pers Soc Psychol 66:882–894

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crocker J, Cornwell B, Major B (1993) The stigma of overweight: affective consequences of attributional ambiguity. J Pers Soc Psychol 64:60–70

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeJong W (1980) The stigma of obesity: the consequences of naive assumptions concerning the causes of physical deviance. J Health Soc Behav 21:75–87

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Diefenbach M, Schnoll R, Miller S, Brower L (2000) Genetic testing for prostate cancer: Willingness and predictors of interest. Cancer Pract 8:82–86

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan K, Tucker D (2000) Knowledge about genetic risk for breast cancer and perceptions of genetic testing in a sociodemographically diverse sample. J Behav Med 23:15–36

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dubern B, Clement K, Pelloux V, Froguel P, Girardet J, Guy-Grand B, Tounian P (2001) Mutational analysis of melancortin-4 receptor, agouti-related protein, and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone genes in severely obese children. J Pediatr 139:204–209

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans D, Blair V, Greenhalgh REA (1994) The impact of genetic counselling on risk perception in women with a family history of breast cancer. Br J Cancer 70:934–938

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Faith MS, Manibay E, Kravitz M, Griffith J, Allison DB (1998) Relative body weight and self-esteem among African Americans in four nationally representative samples. Obes Res 6:430–437

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farooqi I, O’Rahilly S (2000) Recent advances in the genetics of severe childhood obesity. Arch Dis Child 83:31–34

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgibbon M, Blackman L, Avellone M (2000) The relationship between body image discrepancy and body mass index across ethnic groups. Obes Res 8:582–589

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geneob I (2005) Geneob inc. Company web site. Retrieved December 14, 2005, from http://www.geneob.com/index.html

  • Glanz K, Grove J, Lerman C, Gotay C, LeMarchand L (1999) Correlates of intentions to obtain genetic counseling and colorectal cancer gene testing among at-risk relatives from three ethnic groups. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 8:329–336

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Green M, Peterson S, Baker M, Harper G, Friedman L, Rubinstein W, Mauger D (2004) Effect of a computer-based decision aid on knowledge, perceptions, and intentions about genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 292:442–452

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greeno C, Wing R (1994) Stress-induced eating. Psychol Bull 115:444–464

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gurmankin A, Domcheck S, Stopfer J, Fels C (2005) Patients’ resistance to risk information in genetic counseling for brca1/2. Arch Intern Med 165:523–529

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey-Berino J, Gold EC, West DS, Shuldiner AR, Walston J, Starling RD, Nolan A, Silver K, Poehlman ET (2001) Does genetic testing for obesity influence confidence in the ability to lose weight? A pilot investigation. J Am Diet Assoc 101:1351–1353

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henriques G, Calhoun L, Cann A (1996) Ethnic differences in women’s body satisfaction: an experimental investigation. J Soc Psychol

  • Holtzmann N, Rothstein M (1992) Eugenics and genetic discrimination. Am J Hum Genet 50:457–459

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinney A, Croyle R, Dudley W (2001) Knowledge, attitudes and interest in breast-ovarian cancer gene testing: a survey of a large African American kindred with a brca1 mutation. Prev Med 33:543–551

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumanyika S, Wilson J, Guilford-Davenport M (1993) Weight-related attitudes and behaviors of black women. J Am Diet Assoc 93:416–422

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lerman C, Daly M, Masny A, Balshem A (1994) Attitudes about genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility. J Clin Oncol 12:843–850

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lerman C, Narod S, Schulman K, Hughes C, Gomez-Caminero A, Bonney G et al (1996) Brca1 testing in families with hereditary breast-ovarian cancer: a prospective study of patient decision making and outcomes. J Am Med Assoc 275:1885–1892

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lerman C, Biesecker B, Benkendorf JL, Kerner J, Gomez-Caminero A, Hughes C, Reed MM (1997) Controlled trial of pretest education approaches to enhance informed decision making for brca1 gene testing. J Natl Cancer Inst 89:148–157

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lipkus IM, Kuchibhatla M, McBride CM, Bosworth HB, Pollak KI, Siegler IC, Rimer BK (2000) Relationships among breast cancer perceived absolute risk, comparative risk, and worries. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 9:973–975

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lipkus IM, Samsa G, Rimer BK (2001) General performance on a numeracy scale among highly educated samples. Med Decis Mak 21:37–44

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd S, Watson M, Waites B, Meyer L, Eeles R, Ebbs S, Tylee A (1996) Familial breast cancer: a controlled study of risk perception, psychological morbidity and health beliefs in women attending for genetic counselling. Br J Cancer 74:482–487

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mills M, Davidson R (2002) Cancer patients’ sources of information: use and quality issues. Psychooncology 11:371–378

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mokdad AH, Ford E, Bowman BA, Nelson D, Engelgau M, Vinicor F, Marks JS (2000) Diabetes trends in the US: 1990–1998. Diabetes Care 23:1278–1283

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muraven M, Baumeister R (2000) Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychol Bull 126:247–259

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Must A, Spadano J, Coakley EH, Field AE, Colditz G, Dietz WH (1999) The disease burden associated with overweight and obesity. JAMA 282:1523–1529

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Perusse L, Rankinen T, Zuberi A, Chagnon Y, Weisnagel S, Argyropoulos G, Walts B, Snyder E, Bouchard C (2005) The human obesity gene map: the 2004 update. Obes Res 13:381–490

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters N, Rose A, Armstrong K (2004) The association between race and attitudes about predictive genetic testing. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 13:361–365

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pi-Sunyer F (1991) Health implications of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 53:1595S–1603S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pi-Sunyer F (1993) Medical hazards of obesity. Ann Intern Med 119:655–660

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Polivy J, Herman C (2002) If at first you don’t succeed: false hopes of self-change. Am Psychol 57:672–689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rand C, Kuldau J (1990) The epidemiology of obesity and self-denied weight problem in the general population: gender, race, age, and social class. Int J Eat Disord 9:329–343

    Google Scholar 

  • Rucker C, Cash T (1992) Body images, body-size perceptions, and eating behaviors among African American and white college women. Int J Eat Disord 12:291–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson S, Wardle J, Jarvis M, Humphries S (2004) Public interest in genetic testing for susceptibility to heart disease and cancer: a population-based survey in the UK. Prev Med 39:458–464

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw J, Bassi K (2001) Lay attitudes toward genetic testing for susceptibility to inherited diseases. J Health Psychol 6:405–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slowchower J, Kaplan S (1980) Anxiety, perceived control, and eating in obese and normal weight persons. Appetite 1:75–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiegelman B, Flier J (2001) Obesity and the regulation of energy balance. Cell 104:531–543

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (2002) SPSS for windows: statistical analysis software

  • Struan FA, Grant S, Thorleifsson G, Reynisdottir I, Benediktsson R, Manolescu A, Sainz J, Helgason A, Stefansson H, Emilsson V, Helgadottir A, Styrkarsdottir U, Magnusson K, Walters G, Palsdottir E, Jonsdottir T, Gudmundsdottir T, Gylfason A, Saemundsdottir J, Wilensky R, Reilly M, Rader D, Bagger Y, Christiansen C, Gudnason V, Sigurdsson G, Thorsteinsdottir U, Gulcher J, Kong A, Stefansson K (2006) Variant of transcription factor 7-like 2 (tcf7l2) gene confers risk of type 2 diabetes. Nature 38

  • Stunkard A, Burt V (1967) Obesity and the body image. Ii age of onset of disturbances in the body image. Am J Psychiatry 123:1443–1447

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tambor E, Rimer B, Strigo T (1997) Genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility: Awareness and interest among women in the general population. Am J Med Genet 68:43–49

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teachman BA, Gapinski KD, Brownell KD, Rawlins M, Jeyaram S (2003) Demonstrations of implicit anti-fat bias: the impact of providing causal information and evoking empathy. Health Psychol 22:68–78

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann M, Rothblum E (1988) Gender differences in social consequences of perceived overweight in the united states and Australia. Sex Roles 18:75–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troiano R, Frongillo E, Sobal J, Levitsky D (1996) The relationship between body weight and mortality: a quantitative analysis of combined information from existing studies. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 20:63–75

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turk-Charles S, Meyerowitz B, Gatz M (1997) Age differences in information-seeking among cancer patients. J Aging Hum Dev 45:85–98

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • US Census Bureau (2000). Census 2000 summary file 3, table p152i

  • Vernon SW (1999) Risk perception and risk communication for cancer screening behaviors: a review. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 25:101–119

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wadden TA (1993) National institutes of health technology assessment conference: treatment of obesity by moderate and severe caloric restriction: results of clinical research trials. Ann Intern Med 119:688–693

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wadden TA, Foster GD, Brownell KD, Finley E (1984) Self-concept in obese and normal-weight children. J Consult Clin Psychol 52:1104–1105

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wadden TA, Foster GD, Stunkard AJ, Linowitz JR (1989) Dissatisfaction with weight and figure in obese girls: discontent but not depression. Int J Obes 13:89–97

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watson M, Lloyd S, Davidson J, Meyer L, Eeles R, Ebbs S, Murday V (1999) The impact of genetic counselling on risk perception and mental health in women with a family history of breast cancer. Br J Cancer 79:868–874

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein ND (1999) What does it mean to understand a risk? Evaluating risk comprehension. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 25:15–20

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson G (1994) Behavioral treatment of childhood obesity: theoretical and practical implications. Health Psychol 13:371–372

    Article  PubMed  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wood M, Read J, Palfai T, Stevenson J (2001) Social influence processes and college student drinking: the mediational role of alcohol outcome expectations. J Stud Alcohol 62:32–43

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wroe A, Salkovskis P (1999) Factors influencing anticipated decisions about genetic testing: experimental studies. Br J Health Psychol 4:19–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagishi K (1997) When a 12.86% mortality is more dangerous than 24.14%: implications for risk communication. Appl Cognit Psychol 11:495–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmet P, Alberti K, Shaw J (2001) Global and societal implications of the diabetes epidemic. Nature 414:782–787

    Article  PubMed  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grant RO3-HG002499 from the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health to the Research Center for Health Care Decision-making, Inc., Wyndmoor, PA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Research Center for Health Care Decision-Making, Inc., 8200 Flourtown Avenue, Suite 1-C, Wyndmoor, PA, 19038, USA

    Mary E. Segal

  2. Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Marcia Polansky

  3. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Pamela Sankar

Authors
  1. Mary E. Segal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marcia Polansky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pamela Sankar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary E. Segal.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Segal, M.E., Polansky, M. & Sankar, P. Predictors of uptake of obesity genetic testing among affected adults. Hum Genet 120, 641–652 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-006-0252-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-006-0252-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation