SNP chips, a type of DNA microarray frequently employed by consumer genomics companies, are "extremely unreliable" when identifying clinically-relevant variants that are rare among the general population, according to a retrospective study recently published in The BMJ.
The investigation, conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter, reviewed sequencing data from nearly 50,000...
A study of 172 college students at Penn State shows that interactivity, perceived interactivity, and a conversational tone can all impact how engaged users are with a health assessment tool and what impressions they walk away with after using the tool. The study was conducted by S. Shyam Sundar, a professor of communications at Penn State and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory,...
According to a recent survey conducted by Virgin HealthMiles, the four most common wellness programs offered by employers are physical activity programs (58 percent), smoking cessation programs (50 percent), weight management programs (49 percent), and health risk assessments (47 percent). Virgin HealthMiles surveyed about 1,300 business and 10,000 employees for the report, and found that of the...
