Mählmann Laura, Röcke Christina, Brand Angela, Hafen Ernst, Vayena Effy
Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, Auguste-Piccard-Hof 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Institute for Public Health Genomics, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
University Research Priority Program "Dynamics of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Andreasstrasse 15/Box 2, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
Appl Transl Genom. 2016 Feb 1;8:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.atg.2016.01.009. eCollection 2016 Mar.
To explore attitudes of Swiss older adults towards personal genomics (PG).
Using an anonymized voluntary paper-and-pencil survey, data were collected from 151 men and women aged 60-89 years attending the Seniorenuniversität Zurich, Switzerland (Seniors' University). Analyses were conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics.
One third of the respondents were aware of PG, and more than half indicated interest in undergoing PG testing. The primary motivation provided was respondents' interest in finding out about their own disease risk, followed by willingness to contribute to scientific research. Forty-four percent were not interested in undergoing testing because results might be worrisome, or due to concerns about the validity of the results. Only a minority of respondents mentioned privacy-related concerns. Further, 66% were interested in undergoing clinic-based PG motivated by the opportunity to contribute to scientific research (78%) and 75% of all study participants indicated strong preferences to donate genomic data to public research institutions.
This study indicates a relatively positive overall attitude towards personal genomic testing among older Swiss adults, a group not typically represented in surveys about personal genomics. Genomic data of older adults can be highly relevant to late life health and maintenance of quality of life. In addition they can be an invaluable source for better understanding of longevity, health and disease. Understanding the attitudes of this population towards genomic analyses, although important, remains under-examined.
探讨瑞士老年人对个人基因组学（PG）的态度。
采用匿名自愿的纸笔调查，从瑞士苏黎世老年大学（Seniors' University）的151名年龄在60 - 89岁的男性和女性中收集数据。使用描述性和推断性统计进行分析。
三分之一的受访者知晓个人基因组学，超过一半的受访者表示有兴趣接受个人基因组检测。首要动机是受访者想了解自身疾病风险，其次是愿意为科学研究做出贡献。44%的受访者对接受检测不感兴趣，原因是结果可能令人担忧，或者担心结果的有效性。只有少数受访者提到了与隐私相关的担忧。此外，66%的受访者因有机会为科学研究做出贡献而对基于诊所的个人基因组检测感兴趣（78%），所有研究参与者中有75%表示强烈倾向于将基因组数据捐赠给公共研究机构。
本研究表明瑞士老年人对个人基因组检测总体态度相对积极，而这一群体在个人基因组学调查中通常未被纳入。老年人的基因组数据与晚年健康和生活质量维持高度相关。此外，它们对于更好地理解长寿、健康和疾病可能是极有价值的资源。了解这一人群对基因组分析的态度虽然很重要，但仍未得到充分研究。
