KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS DEMENTIA AMONG LEBANESE ADULTS

Abstract

Prior work emphasizes the importance of knowledge of and attitude towards dementia for better detection and care. Low and middle-income countries bear the higher numbers of people living with dementia, often in the absence of national planning and in reliance on families for providing care at home. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese adults regarding dementia and advanced care planning. Participants aged≥45 years (n=130; mean age=57.3 (SD=8.9); 53% women) were recruited randomly in the family practice center of a large urban hospital center (Beirut, Lebanon). Participants completed a standardized interviewer-based questionnaire assessing dementia knowledge (Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale) and attitudes, knowledge and attitudes towards advanced care planning, dementia family history, and socioeconomic, lifestyle, and religiosity measures. Recruitment is ongoing. Average accuracy on the knowledge scale was 60% (mean score=18.3 (SD=3.5)). Items with the highest knowledge pertained to illness course and impact (>83% correct answers); items with the highest incorrect information were related to caregiving (<11%) and risk factors (<22% correct answers). Overall, participants had tolerant views about people with dementia with a 73% average proportion of positive views on the attitude items; items with the least positive views were regarding living arrangements (42% and 52% of participants had positive views about people with dementia living outside nursing homes and in the community, respectively). Only 19% of participants knew about advanced care planning however the majority (>68%) had positive views on planning and making their healthcare decisions. Higher educational attainment (≥university degrees) and higher income were associated with 4.5-point (95%=−0.08, 9.03) and 2.4-point (95% CI=0.43, 4.32) higher knowledge scores in linear regression models; results remain comparable in adjusted models. Other factors were not associated with dementia knowledge; socioeconomic and other factors were not related to attitudes towards dementia or advanced care planning. Results from this Lebanese sample show a deficit in knowledge on caregiving, risk factors, and advanced care planning and in attitudes towards living in the community with people with dementia. These findings call for educational and awareness efforts that prioritize these topics and lower socioeconomic groups to improve dementia prevention, detection, and care.