Gaps in Alzheimer's Knowledge Among College Students

Despite the prevalence of the disease, it appears that there may be a need for increased education for formal and family caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Today's college students will be asked to fill both of these roles in the future. This study examined the level of knowledge of Alzheimer's disease among college students. Two-hundred college students at a mid-sized midwestern university completed an online survey that included the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (Carpenter et al., 2009 Carpenter , B. D. , Balsis , S. , Poorni , G. , Otilingham , P. G. , Hanson , P. K. , & Gatz , M. ( 2009 ). The Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale: Development and psychometric properties . The Gerontologist , 49 , 236 – 247 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Although most participants knew that people with Alzheimer's remember things from the distant past better than more recent events, many college students were unfamiliar with risk factors and average life expectancy. Implications and recommendations for educational programs and curriculum are discussed.