Abstract
The increasing prevalence of delayed and missed diagnoses for dementia constitutes major public concern. In this regard, inadequate knowledge and poor understanding of the condition may create a barrier to timely dementia screening. This cross-sectional study assessed dementia literacy, then identified the association between dementia literacy and willingness to undergo routine dementia screening among community-dwelling older adults in two urban areas of Japan. More specifically, structured questionnaires were distributed to a total of 854 individuals aged ≥ 65 years. A multivariate logistic regression was then used to explore the factors associated with dementia literacy and willingness to undergo routine dementia screening. Results showed that younger respondents and respondents who received dementia information from television/radio and/or paper-based sources were more likely to have high dementia literacy. While less than half of participants were willing to undergo routine dementia screening, those with higher dementia literacy were more willing to do so (albeit, not a statistically significant difference). Although there are pros and cons to routine dementia screening, it is necessary to implement such a system to detect dementia and cognitive impairment. Further, assessments should also attempt to gain information about individual beliefs and understandings related to dementia information.
Highlights
A recent systematic review of the global burden of diseases reported that 43.1 million people are living with dementia worldwide, with the number more than doubling from 1990 to 2016 [1]. the magnitude of public issues related to dementia is increasing, other studies have revealed that approximately 62% of dementia cases are undetected [2]
A systematic review reports that older age was strongly associated with limited health literacy [23], while another study suggested that age-related changes in cognitive function that are not captured by dementia screening may affect health literacy levels among the older adults [24]
More than half of this study’s participants were unwilling to undergo routine dementia screenings, with many referring to the burdens associated with clinic visitation and the lack of sufficient information about screening
Summary
The magnitude of public issues related to dementia is increasing, other studies have revealed that approximately 62% of dementia cases are undetected [2]. In order to improve the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers while decreasing the community-wide impacts of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the “global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017–2025.”. One of the plan’s most important strategies involves raising public awareness about dementia, fostering a more accurate understanding [4]. In this regard, adequate knowledge may reduce the stigmatization of people with dementia while resulting in better early recognition practices
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