Evaluation of a Brief Web-Based Genetic Feedback Intervention for Reducing Alcohol-Related Health Risks Associated with ALDH2

Abstract

There is increasing interest in health interventions that incorporate genetic risk information. Although genetic feedback has been evaluated as an adjunct to smoking cessation interventions, its efficacy for reducing alcohol-related risks is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a web-based alcohol intervention incorporating genetic feedback and risk information specific to ALDH2 genotype. The ALDH2*2 variant is associated with partial protection against alcohol dependence but confers significantly increased risk for alcohol-related cancers as a function of alcohol exposure. Two hundred Asian-American young adults were randomly assigned to receive web-based personalized genetic feedback or attention-control feedback. Genetic feedback included health risk information specific to alcoholrelated cancer or alcohol dependence, depending on genotype. Outcomes included postintervention drinking behavior and theoretical correlates of behavior change. Genetic feedback and risk information resulted in significant reductions in 30-day drinking frequency and quantity among participants with the ALDH2*1/*2 genotype. Genetic feedback was rated highly by participants and also showed some effects on theoretical correlates of behavior change. Results provide initial evidence of the feasibility, acceptability, and brief efficacy of web-based genetic feedback for reducing alcohol-related health risks associated with ALDH2 genotype. KeywordsAlcohol use; Aldehyde dehydrogenase; Intervention; Personalized feedback; Genetic feedback; Internet Correspondence to: Christian S. Hendershot, chender@unm.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAnn Behav Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 August 1. The prospect of personalized medicine has generated substantial interest in behavioral interventions that incorporate genomic risk information [1,2]. Given the complexities of characterizing the genetic basis of common, multifactorial diseases, genome-based risk prediction remains a challenging goal. While genome-wide association studies are identifying risk alleles for common disorders [3], it is evident that these variants will be large in number and characterized by small associations with disease outcomes [4][5][6], currently yielding minimal predictive power above and beyond clinical indicators [7][8][9]. Additional challenges include the translation of empirically derived risk estimates into individualized interventions and evaluating whether and how genetic risk information might promote behavior change [10][11][12].To date, the incorporation of genetic feedback in substance use interventions is almost exclusive to studies of tobacco use. Two randomized trials evaluated the efficacy of genetic feedback for GSTM1, which encodes an enzyme involved in detoxifying environmental carcinogens and shows an association with lung cancer risk [13,14]. In one study, the addition of GSTM1 feedback to a multicomponent intervention resulted in greater abstinence rates 6 months ...

Factors associated with alcohol problems among Asian American college students: gender, ethnicity, smoking and depressed mood

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The impact of communicating genetic risks of disease on risk-reducing health behaviour: systematic review with meta-analysis

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Genetic susceptibility testing for chronic disease and intention for behavior change in healthy young adults

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