Gene Testing and Wellness Programs
Greenfield
R. How Testing genes could make office wellness programs work. Bloomberg. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-01/testing-workers-genes-could-be-the-secret-to-making-wellness-programs-work.
This
article discusses the use of genetic testing as a motivator for employees. Newtopia is a company that provides wellness
services for businesses, including DNA testing, one-on-one coaching, ad a
personalized diet and exercise plan.
The use of genetic testing has shown to improve the health behaviors of
the employees. “We had individuals that
said having the knowledge of their own individual profile allowed them to gain
a certain understanding and mastery of their condition that they didn’t have
before.” Newtopia is specifically on the
lookout for employees that have a high risk of developing metabolic syndrome,
which is extremely costly for companies.
Therefore, only those that have 2 risk factors of developing metabolic
syndrome are eligible to participate.
The company claims their goal is to get results that will companies the
most, not just offer financial incentives to employees to participate in
wellness programs (which often lead to employees doing the bare minimum so they
do not get penalized). On the opposing
end, bioethics professor George Annas reveals that Newtopia may be tricking
some of the employees into believing they have a genetic predisposition to
become overweight, which in turn is motivating them to seek healthier
lifestyles. He warns this may backfire
in some individuals, who may see they are more likely to become overweight, and
use that as an excuse to not bother exercising and eating healthier.
It
seems that genetic testing had a great impact on individuals. Having background information about
conditions they have and the implications of these on their health and ability
to lose weight gave them reassurance, peace of mind, and even hope. This would
be a great tool to use in the future for dietitians because they can know what
the individual is pre-disposed to and the diet intervention that should be
taken into consideration. This testing
will not only help gain insight for health professionals, but also the
patient. If they have their genetic
information given to them, they may be more willing to comply to diet
recommendations based on their predisposed risk since it can be personalized with
their specific needs. However, it is
important that genetic testing should only be used as a guide, rather than
telling people their future health status is set in stone due.
-DG
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