치매에 대한 일반인의 지식 평가와 특성 탐색

Abstract

Background: This research aims to evaluate dementia knowledge and its characteristics according to the socio-demographics of the general public residing in Nam-gu of Ulsan Metropolitan City. Methods: A face-to-face survey was conducted to identify the total dementia knowledge (general and risk factors) and socio-demographics from September 20th to November 16th, 2021. Proportionate quota sampling was used to select a representative sample of Nam-gu residents. A total of 345 participants’ data were analyzed, using frequency analysis, independent t -test, and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The average score for the total dementia knowledge was 9.03 of 15,while the average scores for the general and risk factors were 3.54 of 8 and 5.46 of 7, respectively. A group of females under 39-year-old with an education levelhigher than college scored the highest in the general and risk factors. Educational level was the only socio-demographic factor statistically significant with the average scores of the total (p=0.008) and risk factors (p=0.001) knowledge. Also, the educational level was statistically significant with a few items from the general knowledge and risk factors, such as “Dementia can be diagnosed with brain imaging screening such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging” (p=0.004) and “Smoking has nothing to do with dementia” (p=0.029). Conclusion: The study results encourage educating and promoting the general dementia knowledge, reflecting its relatively low average score compared to the risk factors. This effort would prevent the delayed diagnosis and treatment due to a lack of awareness of dementia types and symptoms.