Cross-sectional survey reveals low awareness of Alzheimer’s disease risk factors and care in rural Libyan adults, highlighting the need for targeted health education.
Key Points
To evaluate public knowledge, awareness domains, and misconceptions regarding Alzheimer’s disease in the Wadi al Shatii district of Libya.
Conducted a cross-sectional survey using the Arabic-validated Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) among residents in the Wadi al Shatii district of Fezzan, Libya (N=430; response rate: 84.3%).
Evaluated participant scores across multiple knowledge domains and analyzed associations with demographic factors and personal experience with the disease.
The mean ADKS knowledge score across all participants was 16.11 ± 2.72, with significant variation observed by age, education level, marital status, employment, and prior personal contact with Alzheimer's disease (p < 0.05).
Participants achieved the highest knowledge scores in disease diagnosis (68.8%) and disease course (66.8%), while awareness was markedly lower for caregiving needs (43.0%) and risk factors (42.5%).