An experiment assessing effects of personalized feedback about genetic susceptibility to obesity on attitudes towards diet and exercise.

ABSTRACT: As increasing attention is paid to possible genetic influences on susceptibility to obesity, recent studies have examined how genetic attributions can impact laypeople's weight-related attitudes and eating behavior. Little consideration, however, has been devoted to understanding the potential effects of learning that one does not have a genetic predisposition to obesity. The present study investigated the possibility that such feedback might bring about negative consequences by making people feel invulnerable to weight gain, which is termed a genetic invincibility effect. After conducting a saliva test disguised as genetic screening, participants were randomly assigned to be told that there was either a very high or very low chance that they carried genes known to increase one's risk of d

SUBMITTER: Ahn WK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5680145 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature