Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Comfort with receiving test results by method of communication. Each method of test result delivery (7 total) and type of test (3 total) is given. Participants' comfort level with various tests and methods are presented. Those scoring 8 to 10 on the Likert scale were grouped as “comfortable.” Those scoring 4 to 7 on the Likert scale were grouped as “ambivalent.” Those scoring 1 to 3 on Likert scale were grouped as “not comfortable.” For each type of test, the blood cholesterol and colonoscopy tests were grouped as “common tests” and the 3 genetics tests were grouped as “genetics” (see Methods for details). HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; STI, sexually transmitted infection.
Tables
Respondents (*) Sex (n = 407) Female 255 (62.7) Male 152 (37.3) Age, years (n = 406) Mean (SD) 37.4 (16.7) 18–24 133 (32.8) 25–34 94 (23.2) 35–54 94 (23.2) ≥55 85 (20.9) Race (n = 409) White 362 (88.5) Asian 17 (4.2) African American 14 (3.4) Pacific Islander 3 (0.7) American Indian 1 (0.2) Other 12 (2.9) Highest level of education (n = 406) Did not complete high school 2 (0.5) High school diploma 77 (19.0) Bachelor's degree 157 (38.7) Master's degree 82 (20.0) Doctorate 77 (19.0) Other 11 (2.7) Do you have a usual source of care (a doctor's office, clinic, health center, or other place you go if you are sick or need advice about personal health matters)? (n = 406) Yes 375 (92.4) No 31 (7.6) Have you or a family member been diagnosed with an inherited disease with a known genetic cause (for example, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia)? (n = 405) No. 335 (82.7) Yes, I have. 14 (3.5) Yes, a family member. 48 (11.9) Yes, both myself and a family member. 8 (2.0) On a scale of 1 to 10,† how familiar are you with blood tests for cholesterol levels? (n = 405), mean (SD) 6.5 (3.3) On a scale of 1 to 10,† how familiar are you about genetic testing? (n = 404), mean (SD) 5.3 (3.1) - Table 2. Responses* from Questionnaire Items on How Comfortable Respondents Were With Receiving Specific Tests Results via the Listed Methods of Communication from a Health Care Provider
Method of Communication Type of Test P Value†† Common Tests (Group 1) STI (Group 2) Genetic Test (Group 3) Cholesterol† Colonoscopy‡ Non-HIV STI§ Predisposed‖ Inherited¶ Carrier** Fax 3.5 2.6 1.9 2.2 2.0 2.1 All Personal voicemail 7.8 6.9 6.2 6.5 5.8 6.0 1 vs 3; 1 vs 2 Home voicemail 5.8 4.7 3.2 4.2 3.6 3.8 All Personal E-mail 8.0 7.2 5.7 6.2 5.5 5.8 1 vs 3; 1 vs 2 Letter 7.2 6.4 5.5 6.1 5.6 5.8 All Mobile phone text message 5.2 4.1 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.3 1 vs 3; 1 vs 2 Password-protected website 7.5 6.9 6.6 6.6 6.1 6.5 1 vs 3; 1 vs 2 Data are shown as the mean values.
↵* The response scale was based on 1 (not comfortable at all) to 10 (very comfortable). Response numbers are approximately 409 within each cell; standard deviations ranged between 2.2 and 3.7.
↵† You received a test to check the level of cholesterol in your blood.
↵‡ You received a colonoscopy to check for the potential development of colon cancer.
↵§ You received a test to determine whether you have contracted a non-HIV sexually transmitted infection (STI; for example, herpes).
↵‖ You received a test to determine whether you are genetically predisposed to a certain disease (you could potentially develop the disease, but it is not guaranteed).
↵¶ You received a test to determine whether you have inherited a genetic disease that is currently untreatable.
↵** You received a test to determine whether you are a carrier for a mutation that causes a genetic disease that could be passed on to your children.
↵†† P value for testing the means of the individual tests within each type (common tests, 1; STI, 2; and genetic, 3). “All” implies groups 1 vs 2, 1 vs 3, and 2 vs 3 are significantly different. The P values were adjusted for multiple comparisons (P < .05).
HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.
