Knowledge regarding Alzheimer’s Disease among College Students of Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction. Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease, is becoming a growing burden and the leading cause of disability among older people, and there is no cure for it. It is set to be the biggest killer among the growing elderly population. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease among college students in Kathmandu metropolitan city. Methods. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 385 randomly selected bachelor students of Kathmandu metropolitan city. The questionnaire included 2 sections. Section I addressed the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. Section II addressed or covered the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) test. ADKS contains a set of 30 items, with true and false options. 1 point was given for the correct answer and 0 for the incorrect answer. The final sum was then the total score of the participant. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were calculated, and the chi-square test was used to measure the association between two categorical variables. Results. The mean ADKS (Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale) score is 15.45±2.95 with the lowest and highest mean total scores of 8 and 26, respectively. 49.5% of the respondents scored above the mean. The number of male and female respondents who scored above the mean is 68 and 95, respectively, with p value 0.71 and odds ratio 0.922. There is no association between gender and knowledge level. Gender seemed to have no effect on the knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease on the basis of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). However, science students had comparatively better knowledge about disease than management students. The mean score of science and management is 15.9 and 15.04, respectively, with p value 0.004. There is association between knowledge score and faculty. Conclusion. This study concluded that the knowledge level of college students on Alzheimer’s disease is below moderate. The findings concluded that there is association between faculty and knowledge score.

Depression among Adolescents of Rural Nepal: A Community-Based Study

“…The highest prevalence of adolescent suicide is evidenced in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe [ 3 ]. It can be persistent, comprehensively impairing adolescent's ability to function at work or school and to cope with daily life [ 5 , 6 ]. Literatures have revealed that sleeping disorder may cause psychiatric disorders and psychological stress leading to acute and chronic depression [ 7 ].…”

“…Evidence on the burden of depression among adolescents in Nepal is not well measured due to the lack of adequate research [ 5 , 6 ]. In Nepal, mental health services receive insignificant attention at all levels of society, from the government to the general public.…”

Quantifying Knowledge of Alzheimer’s Disease: An Analysis of the Psychometric Properties of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale

“…The combined result has a relatively high mean score (mean 21.78; 95% CI 20.67–22.90) that differs significantly among subgroups ( Q test = 11.35 on 4 df; p value = 0.02), with health professionals presenting the highest mean score (11 data points, mean ADKS = 22.9), followed closely by caregivers (3 data points, mean ADKS = 21.6). A study conducted by Baral et al found that students obtained the lowest scores (ADKS score = 15.4), whereas the subgroup of health professionals yielded the highest scores in a study by Carpenter et al (ADKS score = 27.4) [ 10 , 18 ].…”

“…A study conducted by Baral et al found that students obtained the lowest scores (ADKS score = 15.4), whereas the subgroup of health professionals yielded the highest scores in a study by Carpenter et al (ADKS score = 27.4) [ 10 , 18 ].…”

“…AD Alzheimer's diseaseSouth Korea, and healthcare professionals in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, and Spain[8,10,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. It was also administered to laypeople in Brazil, and was included as a knowledge resource on the website of the Alzheimer's Association in the USA…”