Public perceived knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of genetic testing in urban China

Abstract

Because most research about laypeople and genetic testing (GT) has been conducted in other nations than China, we conducted a study in urban China (a) to determine the perceived knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT there; (b) to identify influencing factors associated with the public's perceived knowledge, attitudes, and use of GT; and (c) to explore the relationship among public knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT. Our data came from a community-based survey in urban Dalian of 868 individuals. We used generalized ordered logit and logit models to examine factors associated with perceived knowledge of, attitude toward, and use of GT. We found that 67% of community members knew about GT, that 45% had a positive opinion of GT, and that only 4% accessed GT. Older people were more likely to have less perceived knowledge of GT and less likely to have a negative attitude toward it; these relationships were especially stronger among those aged ≥60 years. We also found that socially disadvantaged people were more likely to have less perceived knowledge of GT and more likely to have a negative opinion of it. Having a greater level of perceived knowledge was significantly correlated with increased odds of having a more positive or neutral attitude toward GT and of being more likely to access GT. Our findings may help policy makers design effective action plans and regulations regarding GT and genetic counseling services for laypersons in China.

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the multi-ethnic population of the United Arab Emirates on genomic medicine and genetic testing

“…Remarkably, participants with chronic disease had good knowledge scores; this could be explained by the fact that sick people are straining to seek more medical information than healthy ones. The opposite was found in other studies, which showed that participants with poor or fair health have lower levels of awareness about genetic testing than those with good health[ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…Regarding the attitude, most participants were willing to perform genetic testing if any family member was diagnosed with a genetic disease, which was in line with the growing body of studies worldwide supporting a positive attitude among populations toward genetic testing [ 29 , 30 ]. Despite the positive attitude toward genetic testing, only a minority of our participants took part in the Emirati genome project; a similar attitude was noticed in the (Qun Wang1 et al) study in China, where 45% of the participant detained positive views toward genetic testing, but only 4% have used it [ 28 ].…”

“…Overall, internet search engines turned out to be the most common source of information for genomic medicine and genetic test among the participants, which is aligned with (Maria et al) study about the growing role of the internet and media in health-related information [ 28 ]. In comparison, a fourth of participants utilized social media to get genetic information, which is supported by (D. Mansour et al) study about the role of social media in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes the following countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.…”