Table 1.
Participant characteristics ascertained from survey responses (N=1903)
| Characteristic | All Respondents N=1903 n (%) |
Proband n=464 n (%) |
Blood Relative n=1040 n (%) |
Spouse/Partner n=399 n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 707 (37.2) | 231 (49.8) | 339 (32.6) | 137 (34.3) |
| Female | 1196 (62.8) | 233 (50.2) | 701 (67.4) | 262 (65.7) |
|
| ||||
| Age, years | ||||
| Mean (Standard Deviation) | 63.6 (12.8) | 66.4 (11.3) | 60.3 (13.4) | 69.1 (10.4) |
| Range | 23–99 | 29–94 | 23–99 | 38–94 |
| Median | 64 | 66 | 61 | 70 |
|
| ||||
| Race | ||||
| White | 1841 (98.1) | 444 (97.4) | 1012 (98.4) | 385 (98.0) |
| Black/African American | 8 (0.4) | 4 (0.9) | 4 (0.4) | 0 (0) |
| Asian | 10 (0.5) | 3 (0.7) | 4 (0.4) | 3 (0.8) |
| Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 2 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.5) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 10 (0.5) | 3 (0.7) | 5 (0.5) | 2 (0.5) |
| Other | 6 (0.3) | 2 (0.4) | 3 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) |
|
| ||||
| Hispanic Ethnicity | ||||
| Yes | 18 (1.0) | 6 (1.3) | 8 (0.8) | 4 (1.0) |
| No | 1854 (99.0) | 446 (98.7) | 1020 (99.2) | 388 (99.0) |
|
| ||||
| Marital status | ||||
| Married/Life partner | 1279 (68.5) | 377 (83.2) | 797 (78.0) | 105 (26.9) |
| Separated/Divorced | 115 (6.2) | 37 (8.2) | 78 (7.6) | 0 (0) |
| Widowed | 395 (21.2) | 27 (6.0) | 82 (8.0) | 286 (73.1) |
| Single/never married | 77 (4.1) | 12 (2.6) | 65 (6.4) | 0 (0) |
|
| ||||
| Education | ||||
| High school or less | 350 (18.6) | 111 (24.4) | 157 (15.2) | 82 (20.9) |
| 2 year college/technical school | 627 (33.4) | 140 (30.8) | 343 (33.3) | 144 (36.6) |
| 4 year college or greater | 900 (47.9) | 203 (44.7) | 530 (51.5) | 167 (42.5) |
|
| ||||
| Employment† | ||||
| Not employed | 142 (7.6) | 62 (13.7) | 67 (6.5) | 13 (3.3) |
| Employed | 833 (44.6) | 141 (31.2) | 577 (56.2) | 115 (29.4) |
| Retired | 894 (47.8) | 249 (55.1) | 382 (37.2) | 263 (67.3) |
|
| ||||
| Health insurance coverage | ||||
| No | 31 (1.7) | 3 (0.7) | 22 (2.1) | 6 (1.5) |
| Yes (private, employer, public) | 1844 (98.3) | 451 (99.3) | 1006 (97.9) | 387 (98.5) |
|
| ||||
| Prior experience with genetic counseling | ||||
| Yes | 246 (13.1) | 56 (12.3) | 158 (15.4) | 32 (8.2) |
| No/Unsure | 1625 (86.9) | 398 (87.7) | 871 (84.6) | 356 (91.8) |
|
| ||||
| Genetic knowledge§ | ||||
| Mean (Standard Deviation) | 3.62 (1.2) | 3.50 (1.3) | 3.68 (1.2) | 3.60 (1.2) |
†
Not employed = full time or part time student, unemployed, homemaker, unable to work due to disability; Employed = full time or part time employment, employed but on medical leave; Retired = retired, or retired but working part time.
§
5-item scale, range is 0-5 items correct; higher scores reflect greater knowledge.