Supplementary Material for: Online Education and e-Consent for GeneScreen, a Preventive Genomic Screening Study

Background: Online study recruitment is increasingly
popular, but we know little about the decision making that goes into
joining studies in this manner. In GeneScreen, a genomic screening study
that utilized online education and consent, we investigated
participants' perceived ease when deciding to join and their
understanding of key study features. Methods: Individuals
were recruited via mailings that directed them to a website where they
could learn more about GeneScreen, consent to participate, and complete a
survey. Results: Participants found it easy to decide to
join GeneScreen and had a good understanding of study features. Multiple
regression analyses revealed that ease of deciding to join was related
to confidence in one's genetic self-efficacy, limited concerns about
genetic screening, trust in and lack of frustration using the website,
and the ability to spend a limited time on the website. Understanding of
study features was related to using the Internet more frequently and
attaining more information about GeneScreen conditions. Conclusions:
The ease of deciding to join a genomic screening study and
comprehension of its key features should be treated as different
phenomena in research and practice. There is a need for a more nuanced
understanding of how individuals respond to web-based consent
information.