Reducing dementia-related stigma and discrimination among community health workers in Brazil: protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial

Oliveira, Déborah; Godoy, Carolina; Mata, Fabiana Araújo Figueiredo Da; Mateus, Elaine; Franzon, Ana Carolina Arruda; Farina, Nicolas; Evans‐Lacko, Sara; Ferri, Cleusa P.

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-060033

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…Further and larger scale research on stigma related to dementia in Brazil and other LMIC should be carried out to increase dementia awareness and help in the creation of strategies to reduce the impact of stigma in the country. For the first time, an antistigma intervention has been created and will be tested in the near future in Brazil (Oliveira et al, 2022). This intervention aims to train community health workers to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in relation to people living with dementia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia-related stigma among health professionals, family carers, people with dementia, and the general public in Brazil.

Godoy,

Oliveira,

da Mata

et al. 2023

Stigma and Health

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People living with dementia often experience stigma and discrimination. There is a dearth of research on this topic in low-and middle-income countries, where the majority of people living with dementia reside. We conducted a secondary analysis of an international database from Alzheimer's Disease International on the knowledge and attitudes toward people living with dementia among four groups: carers, health professionals, people living with dementia, and the general public. We used data from Brazil (n = 2,907), explored the levels and types of stigma and discrimination among the different groups, and used logistic regression to identify participants' sociodemographic characteristics related to the different stigma's domains. Some of the most significant findings are: One in three health professionals believes dementia is a natural part of aging and that it is not important to provide a formal/explicit diagnosis for people living with dementia, more than half of the general public believe that other people do not want to be friends with people living with dementia, nearly 32% of carers believe that individuals living with dementia pose a danger to other people, and more than 30% of carers and health professions consider that there is a dearth of reliable sources of information about dementia. Different forms of stigma were identified in the four groups. Further studies should be carried out to explore other sectors of the population with representation of the different cultural and socioeconomic settings that comprise Brazilian society. Clinical Impact StatementThis is the first study to explore dementia-related stigma in a large sample of different population groups (carers, health professionals, people living with dementia, and the general public) in Brazil. This information can guide the development of antistigma interventions, public policies, and future research aimed at reducing stigma and improving diagnostic rates and long-term care for people living with dementia and their families in different settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dementia-related stigma among health professionals, family carers, people with dementia, and the general public in Brazil.

Godoy,

Oliveira,

da Mata

et al. 2023

Stigma and Health

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“…Healthcare providers and researchers should also strive to foster non-judgmental attitudes and to connect individuals with dementia and their families to supportive services in the community. In addition, policies and laws that prevent discrimination based on genetic predisposition or health status should prevent this additional stigmatization of participants in individualized treatment research for dementia [130].…”

Section: Minimizing Stigmatizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic Insights into Dementia: Precision Medicine and the Impact of Gene-Environment Interaction

Tripathi,

Pandey,

Sharma

et al. 2024

Aging and disease

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The diagnosis, treatment, and management of dementia provide significant challenges due to its chronic cognitive impairment. The complexity of this condition is further highlighted by the impact of gene-environment interactions. A recent strategy combines advanced genomics and precision medicine methods to explore the complex genetic foundations of dementia. Utilizing the most recent research in the field of neurogenetics, the importance of precise genetic data in explaining the variation seen in dementia patients can be investigated. Gene-environment interactions are important because they influence genetic susceptibilities and aid in the development and progression of dementia. Modified to each patient's genetic profile, precision medicine has the potential to detect groups at risk and make previously unheard-of predictions about the course of diseases. Precision medicine techniques have the potential to completely transform treatment and diagnosis methods. Targeted medications that target genetic abnormalities will probably appear, providing the possibility for more efficient and customized medical interventions. Investigating the relationship between genes and the environment may lead to preventive measures that would enable people to change their surroundings and minimize the risk of dementia, leading to the improved lifestyle of affected people. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the genomic insights into dementia, emphasizing the pivotal role of precision medicine, and gene-environment interactions.

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Acceptability and Feasibility of a Community Dementia Stigma Reduction Program in Kenya

Musyimi,

Muyela,

Ndetei

et al. 2024

JAD

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Background: Dementia stigma has adverse effects on people with dementia and their carers. These effects can lead to poor quality of life among other negative impacts. Objective: The aim of this study is to develop and pilot a novel dementia stigma reduction intervention in rural Kenya, leveraging existing Community Health Workers (CHWs) for its delivery. Methods: The pre-post pilot study was conducted, utilizing a parallel mixed-methods design. Ten CHWs were trained to deliver a contextually developed dementia anti-stigma intervention. These CHWs delivered four workshops to 59 members of the general public in Makueni County, with each workshop lasting between 1.5 to 2 hours. Focus group discussions and pre/post surveys were used as measures. Results: The intervention was well received amongst the participants, particularly in terms of its format and accessibility. We observed the largest effects in reducing negative beliefs related to treatment (η2 = 0.34), living well with dementia (η2 = 0.98), and care (η2 = 0.56) for the general public post intervention. Improvements to attitudes were also observed in the CHWs, but the effect sizes were typically smaller. Conclusions: The intervention was accessible and feasible in rural Kenya, while also showing preliminary benefits to stigma related outcomes. The findings indicate that culturally sensitive interventions can be delivered in a pragmatic and context specific manner, thus filling an important knowledge gap in addressing stigma in low-resource settings. Future research is needed to ascertain the intervention’s long-term benefits and whether it tackles important behavioral outcomes and beliefs deeply ingrained within communities.

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Reducing dementia-related stigma and discrimination among community health workers in Brazil: protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Dementia-related stigma among health professionals, family carers, people with dementia, and the general public in Brazil.

Dementia-related stigma among health professionals, family carers, people with dementia, and the general public in Brazil.

Genomic Insights into Dementia: Precision Medicine and the Impact of Gene-Environment Interaction

Acceptability and Feasibility of a Community Dementia Stigma Reduction Program in Kenya

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