Public awareness, knowledge, and attitude toward Alzheimer’s disease in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia

The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery

article

Alhazzani, Adel Ali¹  Alqahtani, Ali Mohammed¹  Alqahtani, Mohammed Saeed²  Alahmari, Tariq Mohammed³  Zarbah, Abdulmajeed Abdullah⁴ 

[1] Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, College of Medicine, King Saud University;King Fahad Hospital-Jeddah;Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region;Abha Mental Health and Psychiatry Hospital

关键词: Alzheimer’s disease;    Awareness;    Attitude;    Knowledge;    Aseer;    Saudi Arabia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41983-020-00213-z

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major public health problem and represents commonest form of dementia that affects many aspects of brain functions and contributes to 60–70% of dementia cases. No study has been conducted in Saudi Arabia to measure the prevalence of AD. However, approximately there are at least 50,000 patients in Saudi Arabia based on an expert’s estimation. Public knowledge and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease are crucial for early diagnosis and management. To investigate the public’s knowledge and attitudes toward Alzheimer’s disease in Aseer region. Cross-sectional study has employed an electronic online, semi-structured, and self-administered questionnaire, randomly distributed among participants. The questions included sociodemographics, attitudes, and knowledge panels toward Alzheimer’s disease based on Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). The study included 1374 participants with a mean age 33 ± 11 years (ages18–70). The majority of the participants (77%) had no family history with Alzheimer’s disease. Less than 50% of the questions were answered correctly and the mean knowledge score was 10.77 ± 5.11. The results revealed that young-aged participants, females, and those having a family history of the disease, have significantly (P < 0.05) better AD-related knowledge. The study revealed an inadequate AD-related knowledge as indicated by the low mean knowledge score. However, participants have demonstrated a positive attitude toward AD patients. More educational programs are required to enhance their awareness and knowledge about AD.

【 授权许可】

CC BY