Abstract
Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) was recently introduced for prenatal testing of genetic disorders. Cell-free fetal DNA is present in maternal blood during pregnancy and enables detection of fetal chromosome aberrations in a maternal blood sample. The public perspective to this new, simple method has not been illuminated. The views of young people (i.e. future parents) are important to develop suitable counseling strategies regarding prenatal testing. The aim was to explore Swedish high school students’ attitudes, knowledge and preferences regarding NIPT. A questionnaire was completed by 305 students recruited from one high school in Stockholm, November and December 2014. Most students (80 %) considered prenatal testing as good. The majority (65 %) was positive or very positive towards NIPT and 62 % stated that they potentially would like to undergo the test if they or their partner was pregnant. The vast majority (94 %) requested further information about NIPT. Most students (61 %) preferred verbal information, whereas 20 % preferred information via the Internet. The majority of the high school students was positive towards prenatal testing and most was positive towards NIPT. Further, information was requested by the vast majority before making a decision about NIPT. Most of the students preferred verbal information and to a lesser extent information via the Internet. The attitudes, knowledge and preferences for risk information concerning NIPT in young adults are important, in order to increase knowledge on how to educate and inform future parents.
Highlights
Prenatal testing is an expansive field, and methods have improved dramatically in the past few years
The use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) substantially reduces the need for invasive procedures which are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage of around 0.1–0.5 % (Akolekar et al 2015 Simpson 2012)
The students rated their attitudes towards prenatal testing on a five- point scale with the following attitudes stated as anchors: Good (1) – Bad (5); Frightening (1) – Not frightening (5); Not calming (1) – Calming (5); and Not self-evident (1) – Selfevident (5)
Summary
Prenatal testing is an expansive field, and methods have improved dramatically in the past few years. The most recently implemented method is non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for analysis of fetal aneuploidy. In a blood sample from the pregnant woman, circulating fetal cell free DNA (cfDNA) is present and can be used for analysis (Lo et al 1997). The use of NIPT substantially reduces the need for invasive procedures (chorionic villus biopsy, amniocentesis) which are associated with an increased risk of miscarriage of around 0.1–0.5 % (Akolekar et al 2015 Simpson 2012). NIPT is an easy, safe and early method (de Jong et al 2010), and women have a strong preference for tests without a risk of miscarriage (Hill et al 2012). There is a question about how to best implement it in clinical practice (Deans and Newson 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
