Women awareness of controllable risk of dementia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A large number of existing studies in the broader literature have speculated on the role of gender in the incidence of dementia. Most of these studies tend to suggest that women have an increased risk of dementia when matched with men. The objective of the study was to evaluate awareness of controllable risk of dementia among women such as social enhancement, cognitive training, tobacco cessation, avoid alcohol consumption, increasing physical activity, management of overweight, hypertension, high lipids, diabetes, depression and provision of hearing aids to elderly after screening. The study sample consisted of female health care providers (n=31), college teaching staff (n=19), and students (n= 34) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study sample was sent a quiz between May and June 2020, through Whatsapp and email, and participation made entirely voluntary. The findings showed that the level of awareness increased with an increase in age. A positive correlation was observed between age and the level of awareness. The study findings also showed that healthcare providers had outstandingly high level of awareness on the controllable risk of dementia compared to college students. Based on these findings, the study recommends efforts that can increase awareness on the controllable risk of dementia, through campaigns or educational courses.