Efficacy of genotype notification to Japanese smokers on smoking cessation--an intervention study at workplace.
OBJECTIVE
It is well-known that smoking causes many diseases including cancers. Informing smokers of their genotypes associated with the vulnerability to the harms of smoking may be effective measures for smoking cessation. The present study examined the effects of genotype notification of an oncogene (L-myc) genotype to smokers on their behavior to quit smoking.


METHODS
Subjects were 562 employees of a bank who answered to be a smoker for a questionnaire used at annual health checkup at workplace from July to December 2002. Those enrolled on August, October, and December were allocated into the genotype notification group (intervention group), and the rest into the controls. Among 286 smokers allocated into the intervention group, 257 participants (89.9%) agreed to genotype testing. One year after the enrollment, a follow-up questionnaire survey was conducted for all smokers including controls.


RESULTS
Those who stated to have quitted smoking were 22 (8.0%) among the 276 controls and 15 (5.8%) among the 257 genotype notified participants, providing that the odds ratio (OR) of cessation for the intervention was 0.64 (95% confidence interval, 0.32-1.28). No psychological problems associated with genotype notification were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study did not show positive effects of genotype notification on smoking cessation rate. To elevate the cessation rate, methods to explain and notify genotypes should be improved.
Hishida
Asahi
A
Department of Preventive Medicine/Biostatistics and Medical Decision Making, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. a-hishi@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp <a-hishi@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp>
Terazawa
Tetsuro
T
Mamiya
Toshiko
T
Ito
Hidemi
H
Matsuo
Keitaro
K
Tajima
Kazuo
K
Hamajima
Nobuyuki
N
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016259:Genes, myc; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
D005819:Genetic Markers