Table 3.
Attitudes toward genetic testing among the general public, cancer patients, clinicians, and researchers
| Question | General public (n = 1496) |
Cancer patients (n = 1500) |
Clinicians (n = 113) |
Researchers (n = 413) |
P-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Genetic testing should be included to national health screening program | 1095 (73.2)1 | 1016 (67.7)1 | 34 (30.1) | 207 (50.1) | <0.01 |
| People have the right to know about their genes to be able to protect their own health and lives | 1277 (85.4)1,2 | 1312 (87.5)1,3 | 80 (70.8) | 347 (84.2)2,3 | <0.01 |
| If genetic testing was free, I would take the test | 1336 (89.3)1,2 | 1419 (94.3)3,4 | 100 (88.5)1,3,5 | 387 (93.7)2,4,5 | <0.01 |
| The results of genetic testing would help me and my doctor plan | 1285 (85.9)1 | 1446 (96.4)2,3 | 102 (91.1)1,2,4 | 393 (95.2)3,4 | <0.01 |
| I would provide the results of genetic tests to the government | 1008 (67.4)1,2 | 1181 (78.7) | 61 (54.0)1,3 | 258 (63.1)2,3 | <0.01 |
| Knowledge of test results may lead to discrimination (e.g., in employment) | 1058 (70.7)1 | 1032 (68.8)1 | 99 (87.6)2 | 336 (81.4)2 | <0.01 |
| People who have a positive genetic test result should inform their spouse | 1163 (77.7)1,2 | 1242 (82.8) | 74 (65.5)1,3 | 298 (72.5)2,3 | <0.01 |
| I would not like to marry someone who had a positive genetic test result | 1141 (76.3) | 1012 (67.5)1 | 67 (59.8)1,2 | 215 (52.2)2 | <0.01 |
Note: Numbers and percentages (%) represent respondents who answered “strongly agree” or “agree”
1–5Values with the same superscript numbers are not significantly different
aP-value was tested by ANOVA with Scheffe’s post-hoc test (p < 0.05).