RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease is most common among the dementias and is characterized by gradual declines in functional and cognitive abilities. Caregivers including family members play a key role in providing critically needed care for these patients. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the knowledge and attitudes of pre-healthcare and non-medical undergraduate students towards patients with Alzheimer's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving quota sampling of 691 undergraduate students (369 pre-healthcare and 322 non-medical). A 28-item questionnaire was utilised comprising of closed-ended questions and some based on a scale rating. The students' knowledge of Alzheimer's disease was arranged into categories such as: 0 for no knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, 1 for very little knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, 2 for fair knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and 3 for great knowledge about Alzheimer's disease. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data was analysed using the computer software SPSS and the Chi squared test of independence was also used to determine which knowledge variables were independent of student's status. RESULTS: Overall, 40.01% of the students have great or fair knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, with that of pre-healthcare students being satisfactory (54.47%). Pre-healthcare students have a more positive attitude towards Alzheimer's disease and 82.2% of students wished to take advantage of predictive test for Alzheimer's disease. Age and genetics were identified as risk factors of the disease. CONCLUSION: Pre-healthcare students had greater understanding of Alzheimer's disease and depicted a more empathetic and caring attitude towards patients. This can be attributed mainly to their knowledge and exposure toward the disease.
