Perceptions of college students on direct to consumer genetic testing

Abstract

Direct to Consumer (DTC) genetic testing is a popular way of learning about one’s ancestry, genetic health risks, and traits. Common DTC testing companies include 23andMe, Ancestry, and Prometheus. This field continues to expand and deepen as more companies arise proclaiming genetic tests for a myriad of matters. Unfortunately, most individuals that take these tests do not fully understand genetics, relative risk, or the regulation and limits of these tests. For individuals that do not have a biology background, terms like carrier, genetic risk, and SNPs are foreign terms. This study analyzes how Ball State college students perceive genetic testing, their experiences with genetic testing, and common barriers to being tested. The study found that the main benefits for testing among both tested and untested groups were ancestry and traits. Concerns about results, privacy, and cost were common barriers to testing. Both groups had medium confidence in quality and accuracy of the results and believed that DTC genetic testing was somewhat expensive.