Projects per year
Abstract
Introduction:
Dementia is a major public health concern but one that continues to be stigmatised. We examine lay knowledge of dementia and attitudes to people with dementia as potential precursors of public anxiety, focusing on the social characteristics associated with (a) the formation of these attitudes, and (b) the perception of the need for restriction and control for people with dementia.
Methods:
Analysis of the 2014 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, which included questions on knowledge of, attitudes to and personal experience with dementia. We used (a) latent class analysis and (b) logistic regression to examine factors associated with respondent attitudes towards dementia.
Results:
Respondents (n = 1211) had relatively good general knowledge of dementia, but limited knowledge of specific risk factors. Negative perceptions of dementia were mitigated somewhat by personal contact. A high proportion of respondents felt that high levels of control were appropriate for people diagnosed with dementia, even at early stages of the disease.
Conclusion:
Personal antipathy to dementia was highly prevalent despite ongoing public campaigns to increase public awareness of developments in its prevention, treatment and consequent care pathways and hampering efforts to widen social inclusion. Fresh thinking and more resources may be needed to challenge persisting common misapprehension of the condition and the formation of entrenched stigma.
Dementia is a major public health concern but one that continues to be stigmatised. We examine lay knowledge of dementia and attitudes to people with dementia as potential precursors of public anxiety, focusing on the social characteristics associated with (a) the formation of these attitudes, and (b) the perception of the need for restriction and control for people with dementia.
Methods:
Analysis of the 2014 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, which included questions on knowledge of, attitudes to and personal experience with dementia. We used (a) latent class analysis and (b) logistic regression to examine factors associated with respondent attitudes towards dementia.
Results:
Respondents (n = 1211) had relatively good general knowledge of dementia, but limited knowledge of specific risk factors. Negative perceptions of dementia were mitigated somewhat by personal contact. A high proportion of respondents felt that high levels of control were appropriate for people diagnosed with dementia, even at early stages of the disease.
Conclusion:
Personal antipathy to dementia was highly prevalent despite ongoing public campaigns to increase public awareness of developments in its prevention, treatment and consequent care pathways and hampering efforts to widen social inclusion. Fresh thinking and more resources may be needed to challenge persisting common misapprehension of the condition and the formation of entrenched stigma.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e0210543 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | PLoS ONE |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 Feb 2019 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Factors associated with public knowledge of and attitudes to dementia: A cross-sectional study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Active
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R2014SSP: Strengthening the evidence base of the Ageing Sector in Northern Ireland
01/08/2013 → …
Project: Research
Activities
- 1 Participation in conference
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International Academy of Law and Mental Health, Rome 2019
Michael Rosato (Presenter), Gerard Leavey (Contributor), Janine Cooper (Contributor), Paul De Cock (Contributor) & Paula Devine (Contributor)
24 Jul 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference