@article{8700797,
  abstract     = {{Aims: To explore the views of the Belgian public on various topics surrounding genetics and genetic testing (GT). Materials and Methods: A written questionnaire was administered to visitors of the annual cartoon festival in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, during the summer of 2014. The main theme of the festival was challenges and progress in human genetics and it was attended by more than 100,000 visitors. Results: The survey was completed by 1182 respondents, resulting in a demographically diverse sample with a mean age of 48.5 years. Our respondents expressed moderate interest in predictive GT, with 39.1% willing to learn about their predisposition to diseases through GT and 49.5% indicating interest in getting tested exclusively for treatable/preventable diseases. We observed higher interest in GT for reproductive purposes, such as preconception screening for recessive disorders (53.8%) and prenatal GT (60.7%). A substantial minority (46.4%) of the respondents were worried that GT could further stigmatize people with disabilities, while 39.7% believed that carrier screening for recessive diseases would lead to an inferior image of people affected by them. Conclusion: Paying due attention to the attitudes, beliefs, and concerns of the general public is important to ensure ethically sound and socially acceptable implementation of new genetic technologies.}},
  author       = {{Chokoshvili, Davit and Belmans, Carmen and Poncelet, Roxanne and Sanders, Sofie and Vaes, Deborah and Vears, Danya and Janssens, Sandra and Huys, Isabelle and Borry, Pascal}},
  issn         = {{1945-0265}},
  journal      = {{GENETIC TESTING AND MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS}},
  keywords     = {{attitudes,survey,genetic testing,questionnaire}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{195--201}},
  title        = {{Public views on genetics and genetic testing : a survey of the general public in Belgium}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1089/gtmb.2016.0418}},
  volume       = {{21}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}

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