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Want to Know

When presented with the option, teenagers want to know whether they are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, LiveScience reports.

Researchers led by Children's National Medical Center's Sophia Hufnagel surveyed 282 healthy students in grades 7 through 12 living in Cincinnati. After watching a presentation about genetic testing, the students were asked about what genetic information they'd want to know. The results of the survey were presented at the American Society of Human Genetics meeting.

According to LiveScience, some 83 percent of the students said they'd want to know non-actionable results and when asked why, 39 percent said they'd want to know to help them plan their futures.

"Even if there was no way to prevent or treat [a condition that came up], they still felt that the information was important to them," Hufnagel tells LiveScience.

Most of the students also said they'd make such a decision with their parents.

Still, Hufnagel tells LiveScience that adolescent patients should be considered on a case-by-case basis. She also notes that all the participants were healthy and were considering a hypothetical situation; patients who are ill and facing such a choice may have different viewpoints.