Risk, worry and motivation: How is public knowledge of dementia shaped?

Abstract

Due to the concern over global rising rates of dementia, increased emphasis has been placed on understanding and moulding the public's knowledge and awareness of the condition. There has been limited previous research into predictors of dementia knowledge; overall knowledge amongst the public is low, and it has been widely agreed that more needs to be done to raise awareness of this condition. This study seeks to solidify understanding of public dementia knowledge and introduces dementia worry, motivation to seek information and risk perception as novel concomitants of this knowledge. A convenience sample of 311 UK adults completed a survey on dementia knowledge including Alzheimer's disease-specific questions, worry about developing dementia, motivation to seek information and perceived personal risk of getting the disease. Surveys were completed face-to-face and included both closed and open-ended questions. Overall dementia knowledge scores were low, achieving an average of 33% of the total possible score, with 88% of the sample scoring below 50%. Bivariate correlations were performed between dementia knowledge and key variables, revealing significant positive relationships with risk perception (r = 0.179, p = .002), worry (r = 0.140, p = .016) and motivation to seek information (r = 0.139, p = .016). When knowledge was dichotomised into high and low, worry about (p = .28) and perceived risk (p = .19) of dementia was significantly lower for people with low knowledge scores than for people with higher dementia knowledge scores. Motivation to seek information was not significantly different between the high and low knowledge groups (p = .071). Despite the relatively low knowledge scores, findings show a positive relationship between modifiable factors and dementia knowledge, suggesting areas to consider for both further research and publication campaigns. Further implications and limitations of this study are discussed.