Attitude Towards Alzheimer's Disease Among Undergraduate Students of University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is most common among the dementias and is characterized by gradual declines in functional and cognitive abilities. Caregivers including family members play a key role in providing critically needed care for these patients. This study compared the knowledge and attitudes of pre-healthcare and non-medical undergraduate students towards patients with Alzheimer's disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving quota sampling of 691 undergraduate students (369 pre-healthcare and 322 non-medical). A 28-item questionnaire was utilised comprising of closed-ended questions and some based on a scale rating. The students' knowledge of Alzheimer's disease was arranged into categories such as: 0 for no knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, 1 for very little knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, 2 for fair knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and 3 for great knowledge about Alzheimer's disease. The data was analysed using the computer software SPSS and the Chi squared test of independence was also used to determine which knowledge variables were independent of student's status. Overall, 40.01% of the students have great or fair knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, with that of pre-healthcare students being satisfactory (54.47%). Pre-healthcare students have a more positive attitude towards Alzheimer's disease and 82.2% of students wished to take advantage of predictive test for Alzheimer's disease. Age and genetics were identified as risk factors of the disease. Pre-healthcare students had greater understanding of Alzheimer's disease and depicted a more empathetic and caring attitude towards patients. This can be attributed mainly to their knowledge and exposure toward the disease.