Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitude Towards Dementia Among Undergraduate University Students in Uganda

BACKGROUND: Dementia remains a public health concern and a leading cause of disability and dependency among older people worldwide. However, the knowledge and attitudes towards dementia among university students remain unknown. This study assessed the knowledge and attitude towards dementia among university students in Uganda. METHODS: An online descriptive, cross-sectional study was undertaken from August to November 2020, among undergraduate students from 11 Ugandan universities. A validated study questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes of dementia. A score <60% was considered poor knowledge while ≥80% good knowledge and more than 80% reflected positive attitudes. RESULTS: Overall, 1005 participants with a median age of 23 (interquartile range: 18 to 35) years participated in the study. The majority of the students were male (56.5%, n=568) and nearly half were pursuing human sciences/medicine-related programs. The mean knowledge score was 65.5% (SD±18.5). Thirty-two percent of the study participants had poor knowledge and only 26.8% (n=269) had good knowledge of dementia. More than half of the study participants believed that dementia is a normal part of aging and that memory loss happens to all people as they age. Attitudes towards patients with dementia were positive with a mean score of 81.9% (SD±19.6) and 65.2% of the study participants had positive dementia attitudes. Those aged more than 24 years were significantly associated with positive attitudes (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.0, p=0.019). There was a weak correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (ρ=0.341, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Whereas the majority of university students have positive attitudes towards patients with dementia, a significant number still have poor knowledge of the same. Continuous health education is suggested to improve knowledge of dementia in this population. Further studies to understand the perception in the general population are recommended.