Lay Knowledge About Dementia in Iceland: Symptoms and Risk and Protective Factors
No studies are available on the lay knowledge about dementia in Nordic countries. A survey was sent to 829 Icelanders aged 25 to 65 (61.2% female). 60.8% resided in the capital area of Reykjavik. About 90% or more recognized eight of eleven dementia symptoms, with females recognizing them proportion...
| Published in: | Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214221142937 https://doaj.org/article/8ee1840a35ee41d59f6ca070ea9592a7 |
| Summary: | No studies are available on the lay knowledge about dementia in Nordic countries. A survey was sent to 829 Icelanders aged 25 to 65 (61.2% female). 60.8% resided in the capital area of Reykjavik. About 90% or more recognized eight of eleven dementia symptoms, with females recognizing them proportionally more often than males. About 50% believed that an individual’s risk of developing dementia could be modified. For individual risk factors, agreement ranged from 4% (hearing loss) to 75.1% (history of brain injury). Knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors ranged from 24.8% (obese) to 43.6% (high blood pressure). Participants acknowledged the importance of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, but only 8% identified a low education level as a risk factor. Public health campaigns and educational efforts about dementia should focus on the whole lifespan targeting all risk and protective factors operating throughout the lifespan. |
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