title: Knowledge and Attitudes of Parkinson's Disease in Rural and Urban Mukono District, Uganda: A Cross-Sectional, Community-Based Study.
abstract: Background. Parkinson's disease (PD) negatively affects the quality of life. There is limited information on PD published from Africa. Lack of adequate knowledge poses a barrier in the provision of appropriate treatment and care for individuals with PD. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in urban and rural Mukono district, central Uganda. Through the systematic sampling method, data were gathered from 377 adult participants, interviewed on selected aspects of PD knowledge and attitudes. Results. Of the 377 participants, 47% were from urban settings and 68% (260/377) were women with a median age (IQR) of 34 (26-48) years. Half of the study respondents did not know the body part involved in or apparent cause of PD. Nearly 1/3 of individuals believed that PD is a form of insanity and 17% believed that PD is contagious. Rural dwellers were more likely to have incorrect knowledge regarding selected aspects of PD. Conclusions. Understanding the cause of PD is very limited in our setting. Some beliefs about PD aetiology may potentially worsen stigma and social isolation. This study highlights the need for increasing PD awareness in our settings. Public health approaches that improve knowledge are urgently needed to promote care access and community response to Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaddumukasa
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kakooza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Martin N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kaddumukasa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St. Francis Nsambya Hospital, Nkozi University, P.O. Box 7146, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ddumba
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Mulago Hill Road, MUJHU3 Building, P.O. Box 7475, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Levi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mugenyi
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, Neurological Institute, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA ; Neurological and Behavioural Outcomes Centre, University Hospitals Case Medical Centre, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sajatovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katabira