KNOWLEDGE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AMONG ADULT RESIDENTS IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide and its impact is increasing rapidly in LMICs such as Pakistan. However, there is limited information on the level of awareness among the public about Alzheimer's disease in Pakistan, especially quantitatively. This study aimed to measure the level of Alzheimer's disease knowledge among the adult community residents in Lahore, Pakistan.

Materials and Methods: The study was descriptive cross sectional survey ,conducted from February 2026 to April 2026 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, 534 adults (18 years and older) living in the community were recruited using random sampling of the community. Knowledge was evaluated using the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), a validated 30 item true/false scale, which covers the following domains: risk factors, symptoms, disease course, assessment and diagnosis, treatment and management, life impact and caregiving. The data obtained were sociodemographic data such as age, sex, level of education, form of living, marital status, and monthly income of household members. Comparisons between groups were carried out using independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA, and significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: The mean Alzheimer's disease score was 11.18/30 (SD = 3.97) with an overall correct response rate of 37.3%, reflecting a very low level of knowledge. The weakest domains were life impact (55.5%), symptoms (57.0%), and caregiving (61.7%). Males scored significantly higher than females (M = 11.88 vs. 10.85; p = 0.005). Significant differences were found by age group (p = 0.001), education (p = 0.008), place of residence (p = 0.001), and marital status (p < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between income and knowledge (p = 0.098).

The findings are clearly, very low that is far below what is observed in similar studies across East Asia and Middle East in the knowledge of Alzheimer's disease among the community residents of Lahore.

Conclusions: The level of Alzheimer's disease knowledge among the people of the community of Lahore is very low which is far less than that observed in other similar studies conducted across East Asia and Middle East. There is an urgent need for focused public education on the symptom, life impact and caring aspects, emphasizing the younger adult, the female, the urban, and the less educated.