Awareness, Perceptions, Stigma, Attitudes, and Help‐Seeking Behavior Regarding Alzheimer's Disease Among Older Adults in Nigeria: A Community‐Based Cross‐Sectional Study

Objective To assess awareness, perceptions, stigma, attitudes, and help‐seeking behavior related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) among older adults in Nigeria. Methods This 12‐month community‐based cross‐sectional study (May 2024–April 2025) was conducted across 12 purposively selected urban and rural communities, representing Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. A total of 744 older adults (≥ 60 years; mean age = 70.3) were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Questionnaire (ADAQ), a validated instrument covering sociodemographic characteristics, AD awareness, perceptions, stigma, attitudes, help‐seeking behavior, and diagnostic care barriers. Descriptive statistics and chi‐square (χ 2 ) tests were conducted using SPSS v22.0, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results Overall, 64.9% of respondents were aware of AD, although 66.8% held negative perceptions. High perceived stigma (62.1%) and undesirable attitudes (71.4%) were common. Only 26.2% reported appropriate help‐seeking behavior. Key barriers to AD diagnostic care included lack of specialists (85.8%), high costs (84.3%), and limited access to services (80.9%). Significant associations were found between AD awareness and age ( χ 2 = 6.432, p = 0.011), gender ( χ 2 = 3.833, p = 0.020), marital status ( χ 2 = 2.319, p = 0.032), living arrangement ( χ 2 = 1.377, p = 0.010), and income ( χ 2 = 2.363, p = 0.031), but not with education ( χ 2 = 1.765, p = 0.163) or religion ( χ 2 = 3.832, p = 0.521). Conclusion Despite moderate awareness, perceptions and attitudes toward AD among older Nigerian adults remain largely unfavorable. Stigma and structural barriers continue to impede timely diagnosis and care. Community‐targeted interventions are essential to improve AD literacy and health‐seeking behaviors in this population.