50% of parents would gene test kids for health problems: study

Given the choice, more than half of parents offered genetic tests to predict their risk of developing common adult health conditions would test their kids as well, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

The study — published online Monday — involved 219 parents who were offered genetic testing to gauge their vulnerability to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and cancer of the colon, skin, and lung, CBS reported.

Many of the parents were willing to have their children tested to see their genetic risk of developing adult-onset diseases and conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and certain forms of cancer — thinking that the information would lead to improved health for the kids.

But the study's author cautioned that gene tests, now widely available at drug stores and online, could promote confusion and needless alarm, or foster false reassurance. They urged pediatricians to anticipate parents’ questions about this kind of testing, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"These tests usually don't offer a clean bill of health and can be hard to interpret even in the best scenario," Dr. Kenneth P. Tercyak, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, said in a written statement.

Most people carried some risk for common ailments, based on a combination of family history, heredity, and lifestyle, Tercyak said.

"The more a parent believes they're going to get good news, the more likely they'll want their kids to be tested. But that can backfire," said senior study author Colleen McBride, chief of the social and behavioral research branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute, in Washington, D.C., according to U.S. News and World Report. "Most of them are not going to get a clear, straight-A report card."

The WSJ Health Blog, quoting Tercyak at length, reported that:

There’s one camp that says young people deserve to have preserved “their right to have and not have that information,” which means pushing off a decision until “they’re at a stage to make that choice,” study lead author Kenneth Tercyak, associate professor of oncology and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, tells the Health Blog. (To this point, testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which can indicate a significantly higher chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, isn’t recommended for those under 18.)

But Tercyak notes that “parents make decisions on their children’s behalf all the time,” and that many are intrigued by the notion that genetic information might serve as a “teachable moment” to help kids adopt healthier eating or exercise habits in order to manage their risks.”It’s very difficult to help adults lose weight and exercise more, so the idea that we could begin to implement changes during childhood for true primary prevention is appealing,” he says.