Examining relationships between multifactorial health beliefs and beliefs about the social implications of genetics

We examined how multifactorial (MF) beliefs about health relate to beliefs regarding the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genomics research including genetic discrimination, determinism, and essentialism, and to demographic characteristics. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey of 351 sociodemographically diverse U.S. adults (59% female, 56% having vocational-technical training or less education, 31% with low subjective socioeconomic status, 79% with self-reported good to excellent health, 62% white, 21% Black/African American, 18% Asian or Indigenous, 26% Hispanic, and 33% younger than 35 years). Linear regressions indicated that stronger MF beliefs were associated with lower endorsement of genetic discrimination by health insurance companies and employers, and with lower endorsement of polygenism, a subscale of race-based genetic essentialism. Stronger MF beliefs were associated with stronger beliefs in genetic determinism. Demographic characteristics were unrelated to MF beliefs. The relationships between MF beliefs and genetic discrimination, determinism, and essentialism were more complicated than expected.