‘The one-size-fits-all camp believes that it has been a mistake to focus on the genome as the main driver of health. The most serious threats, they argue, come not from people’s genes but from their environment and behavior. The wider world in which a person is situated plays the primary role in determining health outcomes.
“The notion that we can improve health by focusing on the individual is false,” says Sandro Galea, a professor and dean at Boston University School of Public Health, a participant in the group. “So much of our health is beyond the control of individuals.”