Knowledge about Alzheimer's disease in the Brazilian population

Abstract

Dementia is a very common disease, but the general population's knowledge about its main etiology, Alzheimer's disease (AD), is still poor, leading to delayed seeking of healthcare services, less prevention of disease by lifestyle changes and more difficulty in managing the care of the demented. Objective: To measure knowledge about AD in a Brazilian sample, taking into account some demographic variables. Methods: A link to a self-administered online questionnaire was sent by email and via other social media to anyone older than 18 years old. Our questionnaire contained sociodemographic questions and the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), a well-established scale comprising 30 “true or false” questions about AD. Results: 1,414 people (1,076 females), with a mean age of 42.3 years (SD ± 14.1), and 87.4% having more than 11 years of schooling, answered the online questionnaire. The mean total score for the ADKS was 21.6 out of 30 points (SD ± 3.73); however when we excluded health professionals (36.4% of the sample), it dropped to 20.5/30 (SD ± 3.51). The scores were positively influenced by educational level, professional skills (better for health professionals, mainly physicians) and by age (younger than 65 years). Being a caregiver or family member did not influence the knowledge about disease. Discussion: Despite the high prevalence of AD, few studies have been conducted in Brazil regarding the population's knowledge about the disease. Our study revealed a lack of information about AD in our country, even in relatives and caregivers of demented patients.

<p>Assessing Knowledge and Perceptions of Alzheimer’s Disease Among Employees of a Pharmaceutical Company in Spain: A Comparison Between Caregivers and Non-Caregivers</p>

“…Despite generally good knowledge, risk factors and prevention of AD were noteworthy gaps. Our results are consistent with previous studies 7, [22][23][24] In a systematic review of 40 studies addressing the public's knowledge of AD, Cahill et al found a poor to very limited level of AD literacy. 7 The most common correlates of knowledge investigated were age, sex, and education.…”

“…Krempel-Amado et al found a moderate knowledge of AD in a survey including 1414 people in Brazil (mean ADKS score = 21.6). 23 The scores were positively influenced by educational level, professional skills (better for health professionals, mainly physicians) and by age (younger than 65 years). Healthcare professionals also show knowledge gaps about AD, with risk factors and disease course being the most frequent identified gaps.…”

“…Healthcare professionals also show knowledge gaps about AD, with risk factors and disease course being the most frequent identified gaps. 23 Caring for someone with dementia is a complex, multidisciplinary task requiring the involvement of families, healthcare professionals, and social services and generates higher levels of stress and anxiety than caring for patients with other chronic disabling diseases. 25,26 In our study, a total of 42 (9.4%) participants reported being informal caregivers of first-degree relatives with AD.…”

“…22 Being a caregiver or family member also did not influence knowledge about the disease in a study conducted in Brazil. 23 Older adults and caregivers knew less than healthcare professionals but were more knowledgeable than senior center staff and undergraduate students in a study involving 794 people in the UK. 24 While research has not yet discovered diseasemodifying agents in AD, there is a robust evidence about the potential to prevent cases of dementia with early management of risk factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, high body mass index, or diabetes.…”

Public knowledge about Alzheimer disease in Mecca Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

“…The present study revealed that the overall percentage of total Alzheimer's disease knowledge score ranged between 26.7 and 100% with a mean of 58.5%, median of 60%, mode of 56.7% which indicate moderate level of knowledge. Quite similar findings were observed among general population in Brazil [14]. However, expectedly higher figures were reported in studies carried out among pharmacists in Malaysia [15], healthcare professionals in Australia [16], and psychologists in Norway [17].…”