Effects of Hypothetical Type 2 Diabetes Genetic Testing on Parents’ Efforts to Prevent Diabetes in Children

Abstract

Objective To examine the effect of hypothetical genetic susceptibility test results on diabetic parents’ intention to prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D) in their children. Methods Parents with T2D indicated their intention to prevent T2D in their youngest child at baseline and after a hypothetical positive and negative T2D genetic test result. We calculated mean/median “preventive intention scores” for each scenario and examined the association between parents’ score change and parent/child characteristics. Results A total of 63% of parents reported that their child had “almost no risk” or “slight risk” of developing T2D. Parents’ median baseline preventive intention score was 8. It increased to 10 after a positive test result and decreased to 5 after a negative test result. Conclusions Negative T2D genetic susceptibility test results may decrease diabetic parents’ intentions to prevent T2D for their children. Future research studies in a real-life clinical context should examine this phenomenon.

Human Genetics of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…2,22–24 In a future where genome sequence forms part of every individual’s health record, such information could prove useful for a host of clinical indications, but the benefits are not yet seen to be sufficient to motivate the dedicated collection of such data for any single specific medical purpose (eg, to obtain slightly more precise estimates of future T2D risk). Further, even though there are reports that knowledge of personal genetic risk could have some impact on individual motivation to modify behavior so as to reduce diabetes mellitus risk, 25,26 randomized clinical trials have failed to show an effect of genetic risk counseling on self-reported motivation or prevention program adherence for individuals at risk of diabetes mellitus. 27,28 Hence, at the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that knowledge about genetic risk for T2D can appreciably change risk assessment or improve motivation and adherence to lifestyle intervention.…”