Response to Letter Written by Shelly Cummings, MS, CGC of Myriad Genetics Laboratories, Inc. Regarding the Paper, “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests Awareness in HINTS 2007: Sociodemographic and Numeracy Correlates.” J Genet Counsel (2012) 21:440-447

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Thank you for your thoughtful comments and for taking time to read our paper. We agree that we should have been more explicit about distinguishing DTC advertising from testing when mentioning the Myriad BRCA testing advertisement campaign. We also agree that it is possible that some people could have responded affirmatively to the survey question about DTC test awareness when it was really DTC advertising that they were aware of. The HINTS 2007 question was worded as, “Genetic tests that analyze your DNA, diet, and lifestyle for potential health risks are currently being marketed by companies directly to consumers. Have you heard or read about these genetic tests?” As with any secondary data analysis, we cannot assess how respondents interpreted the question, nor can we distinguish how they specifically became aware of DTC genetic tests (e.g., from DTC advertising, healthcare providers, websites, family members or friends). …