Survey shows 54 percent of people would participate in the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program

In a study conducted by the National Institutes of Health to determine how people felt about the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program, results showed an overwhelming interest in the research program.

The PMI Cohort Program is a program that aims to include at least 1 million people to improve the ability to treat disease based on the information on people’s different lifestyles, environment and genetics.

Participants in the program will give data through questionnaires, electronic health records and mobile devices, as well as providing blood and urine samples to make up the PMI program. These samples and data will complete a national database for researchers do better study a wide range of health conditions from a large population

“We are excited about engaging participants in this historic research effort,” said Kathy L. Hudson, Ph.D., NIH Deputy Director for Science, Outreach and Policy and a study author. “These survey results are extremely promising — they show that after people learn about the PMI Cohort Program, they’re supportive, and they recognize the value in taking part.”

Analyzing the responses of 2,601 randomly selected people, the survey found that 79 percent of people thought the program was a positive idea and 54 percent wanted to participate themselves. People who were younger, college educated and part of the LGBT community expressed the most interest in joining the program while people over 60 were less likely to participate.

“The survey findings do not support the idea that people from communities that have historically been understudied in research are not interested in participating in this cohort. In contrast, in each demographic group..., at least 1 in 11 people (9 percent) said they would definitely participate if asked, would donate blood, and would take part for at least 10 years,” the authors wrote.