Top

Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Authors: Ramzi G. Salloum, Thomas J. George, Natalie Silver, Merry-Jennifer Markham, Jaclyn M. Hall, Yi Guo, Jiang Bian, Elizabeth A. Shenkman

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2018

Abstract

Background

Access to direct-to-consumer genetic testing services has increased in recent years. However, disparities in knowledge and awareness of these services are not well documented. We examined awareness of genetic testing services by rural/urban and racial/ethnic status.

Methods

Analyses were conducted using pooled cross-sectional data from 4 waves (2011–2014) of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Descriptive statistics compared sample characteristics and information sources by rural/urban residence. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between geography, racial/ethnic status, and awareness of genetic testing, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

Of 13,749 respondents, 16.7% resided in rural areas, 13.8% were Hispanic, and 10.1% were non-Hispanic black. Rural residents were less likely than urban residents to report awareness of genetic testing (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.63–0.87). Compared with non-Hispanic whites, racial/ethnic minorities were less likely to be aware of genetic testing: Hispanic (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.56–0.82); and non-Hispanic black (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.61–0.90).

Conclusions

Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences exist in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. These differences may translate into disparities in the uptake of genetic testing, health behavior change, and disease prevention through precision and personalized medicine.

Simonds NI, Khoury MJ, Schully SD, et al. Comparative effectiveness research in cancer genomics and precision medicine: current landscape and future prospects. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013; https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djt108.

Berg JS, Khoury MJ, Evans JP. Deploying whole genome sequencing in clinical practice and public health: meeting the challenge one bin at a time. Genet Med. 2011;13(6):499–504. https://doi.org/10.1097/GIM.0b013e318220aaba.CrossRefPubMed

Frueh FW, Greely HT, Green RC, Hogarth S, Siegel S. The future of direct-to-consumer clinical genetic tests. Nat Rev Genet. 2011;12(7):511–5. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3026.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Lewis NP, Treise D, Hsu SI, Allen WL, Kang H. DTC genetic testing companies fail transparency prescriptions. New Genet Soc. 2011;30(4):291–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2011.600434.CrossRef

Hall MJ, Olopade OI. Disparities in genetic testing: thinking outside the BRCA box. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24(14):2197–203. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2006.05.5889.CrossRefPubMed

Agurs-Collins T, Ferrer R, Ottenbacher A, Waters EA, O’Connell ME, Hamilton JG. Public awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic tests: findings from the 2013 U.S. health information National Trends Survey. J Cancer Educ. 2015;30(4):799–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0784-x.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Nelson D, Kreps G, Hesse B, et al. The health information National Trends Survey (HINTS): development, design, and dissemination. J Health Commun. 2004;9(5):443–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730490504233.CrossRefPubMed

Finney Rutten LJ, Davis T, Beckjord EB, Blake K, Moser RP, Hesse BW. Picking up the pace: changes in method and frame for the health information national trends survey (2011-2014). J Health Commun. 2012;17(8):979–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2012.700998.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Greenberg AJ, Haney D, Blake KD, Moser RP, Hesse BW. Differences in access to and use of electronic personal health information between rural and urban residents in the United States. J Rural Heal. 2016;0:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12228.

10.

Hong YA, Cho J. Has the Digital Health Divide Widened? Trends of Health-Related Internet Use Among Older Adults From 2003 to 2011. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2016;72(5):856–63.

11.

Khoury MJ, Evans JP. A public health perspective on a national precision medicine cohort: balancing long-term knowledge generation with early health benefit. JAMA. 2015;313(21):2117–8. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.3382.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

12.

Platten U, Rantala J, Lindblom A, Brandberg Y, Lindgren G, Arver B. The use of telephone in genetic counseling versus in-person counseling: a randomized study on counselees’ outcome. Familial Cancer. 2012;11(3):371–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-012-9522-x.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

13.

Schwartz MD, Valdimarsdottir HB, Peshkin BN, et al. Randomized noninferiority trial of telephone versus in-person genetic counseling for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32(7):618–26. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2013.51.3226.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Title: Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing
Authors: Ramzi G. Salloum
Thomas J. George
Natalie Silver
Merry-Jennifer Markham
Jaclyn M. Hall
Yi Guo
Jiang Bian
Elizabeth A. Shenkman
Publication date: 01-12-2018
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5190-6

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Rural-urban and racial-ethnic differences in awareness of direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2018

Burden of disease attributable to suboptimal diet, metabolic risks and low physical activity in Ethiopia and comparison with Eastern sub-Saharan African countries, 1990–2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Unhealthy dietary patterns among healthcare professionals and students in Mexico

Correlates of physical activity and sitting time in adults with type 2 diabetes attending primary health care in Oman

Supermarket retailers’ perspectives on healthy food retail strategies: in-depth interviews

Prevalence of and factors associated with diarrhoeal diseases among children under five in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study 2016