Knowledge Level of Alzheimer’s Disease among Adults Attending Primary Healthcare Centers in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

Background: With the increasing number of older population in Bahrain, multiple neurodegenerative diseases are arising, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Complications related to AD progression and morbidities have introduced new challenges to the patient and the caregiver. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of AD among adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in primary care centers using two tools randomly distributed to adults attending the centers. The two tools used were a questionnaire measuring AD awareness and a validated Alzheimer’s disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), which measures knowledge across seven categories. Results: A total of 620 respondents were included in the study. Most were Bahraini (88.9%) middleaged adults (25-39 years). Only 13.2 % of the participants had a family history of a relative with AD. Of the 620 participants, 431 scored more than 50%. The mean of the overall knowledge score was 57.6%, with a standard deviation of 11.8. The results showed that females were significantly more knowledgeable about AD, with a p-value of 0.04. Conclusion: Our study results identified gaps in knowledge about Alzheimer's disease. Advocacy for health promotion is necessary to raise awareness about the disease. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Knowledge, Primary Healthcare, Bahrain