Study reveals behavioral and health care utilization changes after receiving workplace genetic testing results
New research from Scott Roberts
Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education
Workplace genetic testing (wGT) as part of employee wellness benefits may be a powerful tool for early disease intervention that helps participants make more informed decisions about their health, says a new Genetics in Medicine paper. The research team, including University of Michigan School of Public Health researcher Scott Roberts, is investigating the ethical and social implications of workplace genetic testing and whether receiving increased risk results promotes health behavior changes and healthcare utilization in employees. The goal is to help guide the future of wGT across the country.
To conduct the study, the research team surveyed approximately 30,000 participants from a large healthcare employer who had been offered wGT as part of their wellness benefits. Of the individuals who opted into testing, those who received results indicating an increased risk of cancer and/or heart disease were 8.6 times more likely to follow up with a healthcare professional and 3.23 times more likely to make a health behavior change than their peers who received “no increased risk” results.
RELATED: Scott Roberts appointed interim department chair of Health Behavior and Health Education
“It was encouraging to see that many employees who learned from wGT results of their elevated risk for cancer and heart disease were taking steps that might aid prevention of future disease,” said Roberts, interim chair and professor of Health Behavior and Health Education and co-director of the Dual Degree Program in Public Health and Genetic Counseling. “However, it will be important for future studies to examine whether these potential health benefits are truly realized among employees undergoing wGT.”
Learn more about the work in the news release from Jackson Laboratory.
“Health care utilization and behavior changes after workplace genetic testing at a large US health care system,” Genetics in Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2024.101160
Media Contact
Destiny Cook
Senior Public Relations SpecialistUniversity of Michigan School of Public Health734-647-8650