Public awareness, knowledge, and attitude toward Alzheimer’s disease in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia

Alzheimer's disease in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Current perspectives and genetic insights

The prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive disorder has markedly risen in recent years. Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands out as the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia among the elderly, featuring progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Although the exact biological causes of AD are complex and multifactorial, genetics is considered a prominent contributor. To date, around 80 genetic loci have been identified, primarily in European ancestry groups, though a considerable portion of AD's genetic architecture remains elusive. Recognizing the impending rise in AD cases, both governmental and private sectors in Saudi Arabia are making efforts to enhance formal care and services for older adults. While few studies have investigated AD-susceptible genes within the Saudi population, further attention is needed to explore the genetic background and identify molecular biomarkers associated with AD. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of AD and recent genetic research in Saudi Arabia.

Perception and attitude of the general population toward Alzheimer's disease in eastern region, Saudi Arabia

Objectives

To measure the awareness of AD among the general population of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from October to November 2023. The data was collected using an online questionnaire.

Results

A total of 614 eligible participants completed the study questionnaire. Among those surveyed, 99.3% had heard about Alzheimer's disease (AD), while 96.1% associated it with memory loss. Additionally, 91.5% recognized that individuals with AD face risks when driving, 91.5% believed they could not independently handle their financial matters, 85.7% thought they could not make health-related decisions on their own, and 85.5% believed they could still participate in sports.

Conclusion

The research results challenge our initial hypothesis by revealing significant AD awareness in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, largely attributed to internet-based health information. Despite this, there is a need to improve public attitudes toward Alzheimer's patients, highlighting the importance of enhanced education and better communication between healthcare professionals and the public.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Perceived Threat Toward Alzheimer's Disease Among the Family Caregivers of Individuals with Chronic Physical Conditions in Bangladesh

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing public health concern affecting millions of individuals worldwide. This disease burden is exacerbated in countries like Bangladesh, where public awareness and knowledge about the condition remains limited.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the level of AD knowledge, awareness, and perceived threat among family caregivers of individuals with chronic physical conditions of Bangladesh.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the caregivers of patients selected via convenience sampling in six public hospitals between October 2022 and March 2023. The data was collected via face-to-face interviews employing a semi-structured questionnaire that contained information about socio-demographic characteristics, personal experiences with AD, knowledge of AD, level of awareness regarding AD, and perceived threat toward AD.

Results

The findings revealed a poor knowledge of AD among the study participants. Regarding AD awareness, 52.5% considered memory loss in older individuals abnormal, 26.2% attributed AD to causes like black magic, psychological distress, or bad eyes. Regarding perceived threat, 60.2% wanted to assess their AD risk, while 68.2% disagreed with the likelihood of developing the disease. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age, place of residence, education, and employment status significantly contribute to AD knowledge scores.

Conclusions

This study highlights the urgent need for public education and awareness campaigns to address the knowledge gap and reduce stigmatization associated with AD in Bangladesh. Targeted efforts, particularly among older age groups and rural communities, can enhance understanding and improve the quality of care and support for AD patients and their caregivers.

Public Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude Toward Alzheimer's Disease in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that slowly deteriorates cognitive function over time. This condition disables the geriatric population worldwide. Knowing its symptoms and presentation could help the general population seek medical attention early.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, and attitude towards Alzheimer's disease among the general population in Makkah City.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study employed an online questionnaire distributed randomly in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A sociodemographic and attitude panel is included under each section of the questionnaire, as well as a knowledge panel based on the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). The knowledge and awareness level regarding Alzheimer's disease was determined by adding up discrete scores for each correct knowledge item. A participant's awareness level was categorized as poor if their score was less than 60%. Participants whose scores were 60% or higher were considered to have a high level of awareness Results: A total of 545 participants were investigated; 316 (58%) were females. A range of ages was represented among the participants, from 18 to over 60. Of the study respondents, 68 (12.5%) had an overall good awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and its management while 477 (87.5%) had a poor knowledge level. Among divorced/widowed participants, 16.2% had an overall good knowledge level of the disease compared to 8.3% of married respondents with recorded statistical significance (P=.049). Also, 20.4% of those with relatives diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease had good knowledge of the disease versus 10.7% of others without (P=.009).

CONCLUSION

According to the results, there is a lack of awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease. This study suggests increasing public awareness and knowledge of Alzheimer's disease through campaigns and public education so that the disease is detected earlier.

Awareness and Perception Toward Alzheimer's Disease Among Residents Living in the Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing public health concern, yet misconceptions about the condition are common. This study assessed awareness and social perceptions of AD in Jazan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 925 adults was conducted. Knowledge was assessed using a 30-item Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). Social perceptions were evaluated using a 10-item questionnaire.

RESULTS

Many had misconceptions about AD epidemiology, causes, management, and care. The mean ADKS score was 8.89 ± 5.17 out of 30. Knowledge was poorest for symptoms, risk factors, treatment, caregiving, and life impact. Knowledge was highest in those aged >45 years (p = 0.018), in those with income > 15K SR (p = 0.004), in retired individuals (p = 0.023), and in those who learned about AD from books (p = 0.001), healthcare professionals (p = 0.001), or had an affected relative (p = 0.001). However, knowledge was low across all domains, averaging only 29% correct answers. Most respondents held positive social perceptions, yet sizable minorities saw isolation, legal intervention, and institutionalization as appropriate. Additionally, a portion of respondents associated stigma with individuals affected by AD and expressed a sense of burden associated with the condition.

CONCLUSIONS

There are substantial knowledge gaps and some stigmatizing attitudes about AD in Jazan. Awareness regarding the causes, diagnosis, and management of AD was low. Misconceptions exist that AD only affects older people. Improved public education, especially for higher-risk groups, is needed to address misconceptions and promote social inclusion for those with dementia. Healthcare professionals can play a crucial role.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude of Healthcare Stakeholders on Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia in Qatar

Dementia is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, memory impairment, and disability. Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for 60-70% of cases, followed by vascular and mixed dementia. Qatar and the Middle East are at increased risk owing to aging populations and high prevalence of vascular risk factors. Appropriate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and awareness amongst health care professionals (HCPs) are the need of the hour, but literature indicates that these proficiencies may be inadequate, outdated, or markedly heterogenous. In addition to a review of published quantitative surveys investigating similar questions in the Middle East, a pilot cross-sectional online needs-assessment survey was undertaken to gauge these parameters of dementia and AD among healthcare stakeholders in Qatar between 19 April and 16 May 2022. Overall, 229 responses were recorded between physicians (21%), nurses (21%), and medical students (25%), with two-thirds from Qatar. Over half the respondents reported that >10% of their patients were elderly (>60 years). Over 25% reported having contact with >50 patients with dementia or neurodegenerative disease annually. Over 70% had not undertake related education/training in the last 2 years. The knowledge of HCPs regarding dementia and AD was moderate (mean score of 5.3 ± 1.5 out of 7) and their awareness of recent advances in basic disease pathophysiology was lacking. Differences existed across professions and location of respondents. Our findings lay the groundwork for a call-to-action for healthcare institutions to improve dementia care within Qatar and the Middle East region.

ADVIAN: Alzheimer's Disease VGG-Inspired Attention Network Based on Convolutional Block Attention Module and Multiple Way Data Augmentation

Aim: Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that causes 60-70% of all cases of dementia. This study is to provide a novel method that can identify AD more accurately. Methods: We first propose a VGG-inspired network (VIN) as the backbone network and investigate the use of attention mechanisms. We proposed an Alzheimer's Disease VGG-Inspired Attention Network (ADVIAN), where we integrate convolutional block attention modules on a VIN backbone. Also, 18-way data augmentation is proposed to avoid overfitting. Ten runs of 10-fold cross-validation are carried out to report the unbiased performance. Results: The sensitivity and specificity reach 97.65 ± 1.36 and 97.86 ± 1.55, respectively. Its precision and accuracy are 97.87 ± 1.53 and 97.76 ± 1.13, respectively. The F1 score, MCC, and FMI are obtained as 97.75 ± 1.13, 95.53 ± 2.27, and 97.76 ± 1.13, respectively. The AUC is 0.9852. Conclusion: The proposed ADVIAN gives better results than 11 state-of-the-art methods. Besides, experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of 18-way data augmentation.