CHICAGO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- More than half of people in their 50s and early 60s expressed interest in getting DNA tests to guide medical care, understand health risks or know their ancestry, according to a new poll.
The poll of 993 adults aged between 50 and 64 conducted by the University of Michigan (UM) Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved several disease-specific tests to be marketed directly to the public, instead of requiring a physician to order them.
The poll showed that one in 10 took genetic tests offered directly to consumers, and one in 20 took genetic tests ordered by a doctor.
The poll also asked respondents their interest in testing to learn their genetic risk for three later-life disorders: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or macular degeneration. Around two-thirds had at least some interest in each test.
Five percent of the poll respondents who had already had a genetic test ordered by their physician said it was done either because the physician suggested it or because they had wanted to find out more about their risk of disease or how best to manage a current condition.
Ten percent had a direct-to-consumer test. More than 70 percent of them said they were interested in learning more about their ancestry, and just under half said they were just curious about their genetic makeup. Just over one in 10 said they got tested to find out more about their health in general, or their risk of a particular disease.
Poll respondents seemed to understand how genetic testing provided a potential window into the future: 90 percent agreed that genetic testing might provide a potential window into their own health risks; while 86 percent held that it might provide a window into health risks of their children and grandchildren. But 41 percent said that a genetic test wasn't necessary if they already knew what disease risks ran in their family.
The poll also found that desire to know more about their risk of disease or heritage came with a grain of salt. Two-thirds of those polled said they thought genetic testing could lead them to worry too much about their future health.
