At-risk adults tend to responsibility genes for ill-health

People, who are more at risk of disease, are more likely to give too much significance to genetic causes of disease than alter their lifestyle, according to researchers. According to Dr. Suzanne O’Neill from the National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health, and her colleagues, people on the whole are still interested in how health behaviors affect disease risk.

However, those with the most need to change their behaviors are more likely to favour genetic explanations for their diseases and the more behavioural risk factors they have, the less likely they are to be interested in behavior modify information. The completion of the Human Genome Project has led to improved availability of genetic risk information linking gene variant to a number of ordinary health conditions.

There is some concern that this genetic risk information might prompt some individuals to give genetic causation unnecessary importance while downplaying the donation of well-known behavioural and ecological factors, leading to reduced motivation to make behavioural changes. This potential misinterpretation of genetic information may undermine public health efforts to encourage the behavioural changes needed to avoid disease. 

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