Beliefs about Alzheimer's disease in Britain

Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents one of the most debilitating conditions affecting the elderly. Despite the prevalence and consequences of AD, surveys have revealed that the general public in North America and Australia hold numerous misconceptions of the disease. The aim of this...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging & mental health 2012-09, Vol.16 (7), p.828-835
Main Authors: Hudson, John M., Pollux, Petra M.J., Mistry, Bejal, Hobson, Sara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis
Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology
Alzheimer Disease - physiopathology
Alzheimer Disease - therapy
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease knowledge scale
Data Collection
Dementia
England
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Knowledge
Lincolnshire
Male
Middle Aged
Misconceptions
Nutrition
Perception
Quantitative analysis
Risk Factors
Surveys
Symptoms
United Kingdom
Vulnerability
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents one of the most debilitating conditions affecting the elderly. Despite the prevalence and consequences of AD, surveys have revealed that the general public in North America and Australia hold numerous misconceptions of the disease. The aim of this study was to examine whether misconceptions of AD are also endorsed by adults in Britain. Method: The Alzheimer's disease knowledge scale (ADKS) was completed by 312 adults residing in Lincolnshire, UK. The ADKS contains 30 true or false statements pertaining to risk factors, assessment and diagnosis, symptoms, course, life impact, caregiving, and treatment and management of AD. Results: Regardless of age, education, and familiarity with AD, respondents in this survey demonstrated a good understanding (≥80% mean correct) of some items from all categories. However, knowledge gaps exist about the course of the disease, and of conditions that can exacerbate (inadequate nutrition) or simulate (depression) the symptoms of AD. Moreover, a large proportion of respondents (∼75%) are unaware that hypertension or hypercholesterolemia may increase ones predisposition to developing AD. Conclusion: Respondents revealed knowledge gaps pertaining to conditions that masquerade as AD, increase ones vulnerability to AD, and exacerbate AD symtomatology. Educational campaigns that specifically target these issues may help reduce the impact of AD.
ISSN:1360-7863
1364-6915
DOI:10.1080/13607863.2012.660620