OBJECTIVES: To assess intention to get genetic testing among the United States (US) population, and how this may vary by racial-ethnic group and rural-urban status.

METHODS: A Qualtrics panel was used to recruit adults in the US general public for a cross-sectional survey in 2022. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) construct of intention, identical sets of 3 questions examined intention to get genetic testing for seven diseases, divided into two sections related to diagnosis versus treatment. The diagnosis section focused on the intention to get genetic testing to predict risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Huntington’s disease, and macular degeneration. The treatment section focused on the intention to get genetic testing to guide choice of treatment for cancer, chronic pain, depression, and heart disease. Mean intention scale scores (from 1-5) with standard deviation were calculated for each disease, with comparisons made using ANOVA and t-tests.

RESULTS: Of 1,600 respondents, mean age was 53 ± 16.42 years. A large portion were minorities (26% Black and 26% Hispanic/Latino) and 33% of respondents resided in rural areas. In both diagnosis and treatment sections, cancer had the highest mean scale score for testing intention (3.91 ± 0.99 and 4.20 ± 0.85). Huntington’s disease and depression had the lowest testing intention scores (3.55 ± 1.11 and 3.83 ± 0.99). All testing intention scores significantly varied by race/ethnicity (all P<0.05) except in the choice of treatment section for cancer. Testing intention scores for Alzheimer’s disease (P=0.013) and Huntington’s disease (P=0.02) were significantly different between rural and urban residents; no other intention scores varied significantly by rural-urban status.

CONCLUSIONS: Intentions to get genetic testing may significantly vary by racial-ethnic group and rural-urban status, depending on disease and testing purpose. Future studies should investigate root causes behind these intention differences, to inform genetic testing interventions.