Dementia knowledge and attitudes from Third-age university participants

Czech version

Authors: R. Bužgová; R. Zeleníková; K. Bobčíková; R. Kozáková; J. Hosáková
Authors‘ workplace: Ústav ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence, LF OU, Ostrava
Published in: Cesk Slov Neurol N 2024; 87(2): 132-138
Category: Original Paper
doi: https://doi.org/10.48095/cccsnn2024132

Overview

Aim: The aim of our cross-sectional study was to find out what knowledge seniors have about dementia and attitudes towards dementia and whether these attitudes and knowledge differ according to selected factors. Materials and methods: The research set consisted of 269 participants from the University of the Third Age in Ostrava who were over 60 years of age. The Dementia Knowledge Scale and The Scale of Attitudes toward People with Dementia and their Care (APDC) were used for data collection. Statistical evaluation was performed using the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: On average, seniors knew five out of eight symptoms of dementia and five out of ten risk factors. Seniors with experience in caring for a person with dementia (P = 0.002) and women (P = 0.043) had better knowledge about the symptoms of dementia. Men reported greater knowledge about risk factors for dementia (P = 0.028). The greatest ignorance of risk factors was in the areas of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking. No association was found between knowledge and attitudes toward dementia. Conclusions: Increasing the knowledge of seniors about the symptoms and risk factors of dementia can lead to greater adherence to preventive measures and early recognition of the disease. At the same time, it is appropriate to include interventions shaping seniors‘ attitudes towards dementia and care for people with dementia in prevention programmes.

Keywords:

risk factor – dementia – attitude – Knowledge – older people

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