title: Perceptions of risk and prevention of dementia in the healthy elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To determine the attitudes and perceptions of the elderly with regard to dementia. (2) To correlate these beliefs with demographic variables of age, sex, intelligence scores and social class.
  
  
  METHODS
  A postal questionnaire survey of a sample of 562 subjects of the Manchester University Age and Cognitive Performance longitudinal study group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 95%. Most responders (69%) did not worry about dementia, although they were more likely to think about it if they had a family member with dementia (p < 0.005). There is no link between social class, sex, intelligence scores and age with regard to worries and concerns of dementia. The majority of responders (82%) took action to maintain their health but demonstrated poor awareness of risks or protective factors for dementia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elderly on the whole were not fearful of dementia or of acquiring it. There was poor awareness of risks or protective factors for dementia.
authors: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Hope Hospital, Manchester, UK. linhse@yahoo.com
authors: L H Joyce
authors: LH
authors: Yeo
authors: Michael A
authors: MA
authors: Horan
authors: Maureen
authors: M
authors: Jones
authors: Neil
authors: N
authors: Pendleton
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom