The question of a child's genetic destiny, including the possibility of future health risks, has made many consider the value of genetic testing. Others fear that too much weight would be given to a genetic test, now available directly to the consumer. A new study from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital indicates that information from family history and genetic testing caused equal concern among parents about their children's risk of disease.

"We were surprised to find that parents were not overly concerned about a child's genetic test result compared to a child's genetic risk that comes from family history," says study lead author Beth A. Tarini, M.D., an assistant professor of pediatrics and a member of the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit in the Division of General Pediatrics at Mott. "Our findings suggest that even as genetic tests become more accessible, family history will likely remain a meaningful part of a child's health evaluation and our discussions with parents."

By contrast, for themselves, parents were more likely to be worried when family history - rather than genetic testing - indicated that there may be a chance for developing a disease.

"Parents interpreted risk differently for themselves than for their children. For parents, family history - in effect, one's observed genetic destiny - trumped disease risk as measured by genetic tests," Tarini says.

The study - set to appear in the November issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine - requested parents to separately assess their level of concern for their own and their children's genetic disease risk based on family history and genetic testing.

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing greatly facilitates families' access to genetic test results. Other studies have shown that individuals' perceptions of genetic disease risk may influence their health care decisions. Therefore, Tarini and her colleagues felt it was important to learn more about whether parents are more concerned about their child's genetic risk when it comes from a genetic test result.

In all, the source of the risk information - family history or genetic test results - did not affect parents' concern about their children's disease risk. Tarini says these results reinforce the importance of using family history, not just genetic testing, to assess disease risk.

Adapted from a press release by University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

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