Concern about developing Alzheimer's disease or dementia and intention to be screened: An analysis of national survey data

Abstract

Objective Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or dementia is important so that patients can express treatment preferences, subsequently allowing caregivers to make decisions consistent with their wishes. This study explored the relationship between people’s concern about developing AD/dementia, likelihood to be screened/tested, if experiencing changes in cognitive status or functioning, and concerns about sharing the diagnostic information with others. Method A descriptive study was conducted using Porter Novelli’s SummerStyles 2013 online survey data. Of the 6105 panelists aged 18+ who received the survey, 4033 adults responded (response rate: 66%). Chi squares were used with case-level weighting applied. Results Almost 13% of respondents reported being very worried or worried about getting AD/dementia, with women more worried than men (p <.001), and AD/dementia caregivers more worried than other types of caregivers (p = .04). Women were also more likely than men to agree to be screened/tested if experiencing changes in memory and/or thinking (p <.001). The greater the worry, the more likely respondents would agree to be screened/tested (p <.001). Nearly 66% of respondents were concerned that sharing a diagnosis would change the way others think/feel about them, with women reporting greater concern than men (p = .003). Conclusion Findings demonstrate that level of worry about AD/dementia is associated with the reported likelihood that individuals agree to be screened/tested. This information will be useful in developing communication strategies to address public concern about AD/dementia that may increase the likelihood of screening and early detection.

Experiences of dementia and attitude towards prevention: a qualitative study among older adults participating in a prevention trial

“…Previous studies reported that a perceived high risk of AD and family history of cognitive disorders might motivate individuals towards enrolling in hypothetical AD drug trials [38,39] and increase willingness to undergo genetic or diagnostic assessments [26,[40][41][42][43]. Lawrence and colleagues observed that diagnostic confirmation was an important incentive for participation among cognitively impaired older adults [40].…”

Changing lifestyle for dementia risk reduction: Inductive content analysis of a national UK survey

“…However, it can be very difficult to encourage people to make lifestyle changes for a disease that may be decades away and especially when the causes of dementia are not yet fully understood. A recent national survey conducted in the USA on individual perceptions of health conditions [21], in a sample of 4,033 respondents, found that cancer ranked as the most feared condition (40.3%) compared to dementia (17.5%). However, recent changes in the leading cause of death stating that dementia has overtaken cancer and cardiovascular disease, may change these perceptions in the future [22,23].…”

Cognitive Change and Driving Behavior among Older Drivers

“…This differentiation is important as dementia may be under-screened and underdiagnosed ( 48 – 50 ). Indeed, a 2009 study estimated dementia was underdiagnosed in 50% of primary care patients aged 65 and above ( 48 ).…”