Public awareness of dementia: A study in Botucatu, a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Schelp,Arthur Oscar
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Nieri,Andrea Bruno, Hamamoto Filho,Pedro Tadao, Bales,Alessandra Martins, Mendes-Chiloff,Cristiane Lara
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Dementia & Neuropsychologia
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1980-57642008000300192
• topic: dementia; Alzheimer's disease; elderly population; public awareness.

Abstract Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease affecting an increasing number of people worldwide. Despite its importance, only a few studies have examined public awareness of dementia. We present a study of the public awareness of dementia in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A sample of 73 individuals answered a questionnaire approved by the Medical Ethics Research Committee inquiring about the characteristics of healthy old-aged and demented individuals. Results: Those interviewed believed that dementia is characterized by prevalent memory impairment (41%) and behavioral changes (32.9%) with onset in the 60's or older (42.5%) and upon suspecting dementia, only a few would seek specialized medical help. Discussion: Better understanding of public awareness of dementia provides the clue to more effective health and social policies in order to achieve a higher rate of early diagnosis and thereby possibly decreasing patient, family and caregiver distress.