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Although there is a high agreement between parentally reported and measured WC, the parentally reported data must be used with reserve. Moreover, this study is the first to suggest that WC is a better indicator compared to BMI when parentally reported values are used to classify children.

Maternal prenatal cystic fibrosis (CF) screening was offered from September, 1997, to April, 1999, at the Ghent University Hospital, to couples undergoing prenatal diagnosis (amniocentesis) for reasons not related to CF. Fifteen minutes were devoted to explaining CF, CF screening, and the study protocol. The purpose was to assess the short- and long-term knowledge of CF, the attitude towards carrier screening, and carriership. A total of 314 couples entered the pilot study; 13 female CF carriers were identified. None of their partners carried an identifiable mutation. Our survey results show that information about CF and CF screening can be given effectively as part of antenatal care because most couples recalled important medical and genetic issues, valued the genetic test for CF, and seemed to cope well with the results. Risk estimates and actual numbers were more difficult to process and recall. From the small number of couples in which the woman alone was found to be a carrier, there was little or no evidence of marked distress.

The counselling experience with 50 Flemish families in whom mutation analysis of the total coding region of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene has been initiated, is presented.Genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility is offered by a multidisciplinary team. During the counselling sessions, special attention is given to comprehensible and emotionally acceptable communi-cation of genetic information and to the psychosocial evaluation of the counselee. The limitations of molecular testing and the controversy surrounding cancer prevention strategies are also discussed.The overall acceptance of mutation testing is high. Some of the problems encountered are inaccuracy of the reported family history, poor retrieval of the medical records of affected family members and the reluctance of many patients to inform their relatives about the possibility of being tested.

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