Open Access Research Article

Dementia Knowledge among Kuwait University Students: a Descriptive Study

Fahad Manee*, Ghadeer AlHaddad, Sarah AlAli, and Mehdi Rassafiani

Department of Occupational Therapy, Kuwait University, Kuwait

Corresponding Author

Received Date: October 26, 2019;  Published Date: October 31, 2019

Abstract

Background: In regard to prevention and early intervention for dementia, knowledge of the population is a key factor. The aim of this study is to determine the level of understanding about dementia among students at all campuses at Kuwait University and so be able to better plan for future intervention.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in order to examine the knowledge of dementia among Kuwait University students across different campuses. An Arabic version of the DKAS was cross culturally developed and used in this study. The comparison of the DKAS subscales and the dementia total score were obtained.

Results: A total of 1350 students participated in this study. The results indicated that the students in different campuses had a significant difference in the dementia total score (p = 0.000) as well as a significant difference between all subscales of the DKAS. Total score of dementia knowledge among students in all campuses was a mean of 15.09 out of 25 and S.D of 3.05. The Causes and Characteristics subscale was (p = 0.000) with a mean of 4.22 out of 7. The Communication and Behavior subscale was (p = 0.005) with a mean of 2.88 out of 6. The Care Consideration subscale was (p = 0.019) with a mean of 4.67 out of 6. The Risks and Health Promotion subscale was (p = 0.000) with a mean of 3.31 out of 6.

Conclusion: The baseline knowledge of the students was moderate. Although there were differences in students’ knowledge across all campuses, all students required improved knowledge of dementia. This will help us to implement more appropriate care and support.

Keywords:Dementia; Early intervention; Health promotion

Abbreviations:WHO: World Health Organization; IRB: Institutional Review Board; DKAS: Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale; SPSS: Statistics Package for the Social Sciences

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