| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HIGAKI Yasuki Saga Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (10228702)
SHONO Naoko Saga Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (60223674)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
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| Research Abstract |
In performing human genetics research, informed consent from study participants is essential, yet public attitudes toward such research remain not fully understood. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the following issues : 1) what attitude the Japanese middle-aged or older public have toward human genetics studies, and whether they regard those studies important, 2) to what extent they want explanations as to genetic aspects before they decide to or not to participate, 3) what proportion of them are likely to participate, and 4) whether cooperative people have any characteristics in terms of demography (e.g., sex,. age, occupation) and lifestyle habits (e.g., drinking and smoking). From the roster of Saga City residents, we randomly selected a total of 2,000 people (1,000 men and 1,000 women) who aged 40 to 79 years. as of December 31, 2001. In March 2002, a self-administered questionnaire was sent to them, and 1,338 people (667 men and 671 women) completed and returned the questionnaire, with a response rate of 69% : About 80% of the respondents looked upon human genetics research important. The subjects frequently listed the following items upon which they wanted pertinent explanations : the association between disease and gene, the purpose of the study, the reason why he/she was selected as a candidate, the method of protecting genetic privacy, and the notification of genotyping results. Only. 15% of the subjects answered that they did not require detailed explanations. Regarding. the use of stored human specimens for which genetic testing had not explicitly been approved by examinees, around 60% reported that researchers should use only the specimens for which they could confirm examinees' consent for the research use. Those who were willing to participate in genetics studies accounted for 51 % of the subjects, and such willingness was more prevalent among males, professionals/technicians/administrators, and current drinkers.
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