Research
Cochrane review: Communicating genetic risk information to increase risk-reducing behaviour
Genetic factors are increasingly being found to play a role in complex diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Tests are becoming available that identify genes that are known to increase a person’s future risk of developing a particular disease, e.g. breast cancer or lung cancer. Those people who test positive can help reduce their risk of developing the disease in the future by changing their health behaviour, for example by giving up smoking or engaging in regular breast screening.
Many researchers expect that telling a patient information about their genes will help to encourage them to change their behaviour to reduce the risks of them developing a particular disease. However, there are concerns that testing positive for a high risk gene might trigger negative feelings of hopelessness, inevitability and make people less likely to adopt healthy behaviours.
To explore these issues further, we are collaborating on a review to describe and measure the effect of providing information on genetic risk to see if it affects whether patients follow changes in behaviour that reduce their risk of developing a disease. These include behaviours such as changes in diet, physical activity, smoking and attendance for screening.
We hope that the results of this review can provide information to stimulate discussions regarding the possible health benefits of providing patients with genetic information. It is also hoped that the results will provide information for the design of future studies in this area.
The Cochrane Review is a collaboration with Professor Theresa Marteau of King's College London.
