Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation?
Voluntary genetic testing (GT) leverages low-cost DNA sequencing and other testing methods to provide genetic risk screening for healthy individuals. Given the potential to prevent disease and promote health, some employers now offer GT as an employee benefit (workplace GT, or wGT), but participatio...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Genetics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2024.1496900/full |
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| author | Forrest Briscoe James H. Maxwell Angel Bourgoin |
| author_facet | Forrest Briscoe James H. Maxwell Angel Bourgoin |
| author_sort | Forrest Briscoe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Voluntary genetic testing (GT) leverages low-cost DNA sequencing and other testing methods to provide genetic risk screening for healthy individuals. Given the potential to prevent disease and promote health, some employers now offer GT as an employee benefit (workplace GT, or wGT), but participation remains low. To investigate facilitators and barriers to wGT participation, we conducted one of the first representative surveys of working U.S. adults on this topic (n = 958). We assessed factors that could influence participation, including: sponsoring entity (health provider or employer), program design, and individual demographics. Two-thirds (68%) of respondents indicated willingness to participate in some type of GT, but only half (49%) expressed willingness to participate through their employer. Women were 60% more willing to participate than men, and individuals with previous genetic testing experience were 143% more willing to participate than those without such experience. Across all demographic groups, certain GT program design features tended to increase or decrease willingness to participate. The ability to have one’s data deleted from the GT database increased willingness most often (true for 67% of respondents), while selling data to pharmaceutical companies decreased willingness most often (true for 63% of respondents). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d678c7b29e5449fb8c33f7f21ffcb16 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-8021 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Genetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d678c7b29e5449fb8c33f7f21ffcb162024-12-04T06:46:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Genetics1664-80212024-12-011510.3389/fgene.2024.14969001496900Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation?Forrest Briscoe0James H. Maxwell1Angel Bourgoin2ILR School, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United StatesEnvironment and Health Group (United States), Cambridge, MA, United StatesJSI Research and Training Institute (United States), Atlanta, GA, United StatesVoluntary genetic testing (GT) leverages low-cost DNA sequencing and other testing methods to provide genetic risk screening for healthy individuals. Given the potential to prevent disease and promote health, some employers now offer GT as an employee benefit (workplace GT, or wGT), but participation remains low. To investigate facilitators and barriers to wGT participation, we conducted one of the first representative surveys of working U.S. adults on this topic (n = 958). We assessed factors that could influence participation, including: sponsoring entity (health provider or employer), program design, and individual demographics. Two-thirds (68%) of respondents indicated willingness to participate in some type of GT, but only half (49%) expressed willingness to participate through their employer. Women were 60% more willing to participate than men, and individuals with previous genetic testing experience were 143% more willing to participate than those without such experience. Across all demographic groups, certain GT program design features tended to increase or decrease willingness to participate. The ability to have one’s data deleted from the GT database increased willingness most often (true for 67% of respondents), while selling data to pharmaceutical companies decreased willingness most often (true for 63% of respondents).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2024.1496900/fullELSIworkplacewellnessemployee benefitgenetic testing (GT)population screening |
| spellingShingle | Forrest Briscoe James H. Maxwell Angel Bourgoin Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? Frontiers in Genetics ELSI workplace wellness employee benefit genetic testing (GT) population screening |
| title | Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? |
| title_full | Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? |
| title_fullStr | Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? |
| title_short | Workplace genetic testing: which employees are likely to participate, what are their concerns with employer sponsorship, and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation? |
| title_sort | workplace genetic testing which employees are likely to participate what are their concerns with employer sponsorship and which design features could reduce barriers and increase participation |
| topic | ELSI workplace wellness employee benefit genetic testing (GT) population screening |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2024.1496900/full |
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