遺伝子検査により予防効果が示される疾患を理解するための大学生を対象にした意識調査とその回答が疾病予防に及ぼす影響

抄録

A survey of pharmacy students’ and liberal arts students’ attitudes toward identifying diseases that can be effectively prevented using genetic analysis was performed using a multiple-choice questionnaire. We defined the diseases that can be prevented using genetic analysis and found that, for these diseases, the rate of selecting “do nothing” by people with disease-related genes was significantly lower than that of people for whom the genetic influence was unknown. We found that the nine conditions that we investigated (i.e., obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypocholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, arteriosclerosis, cancer, and liver disease) are diseases that can be effectively prevented using genetic analysis for all students. We also observed that the most common answer for disease prevention was related to dietary changes (including drinking restrictions). In conclusion, through our unique questionnaire, we identified various diseases that can be effectively prevented using genetic analysis. However, it was found that the act of answering a multiple-choice questionnaire does not improve knowledge of disease prevention measures. Therefore, we propose that, after the questionnaire, it is important to distribute written material that explains the cause of life-style-related diseases and their prevention in order to foster knowledge about disease prevention.