Public Awareness and Knowledge about Parkinson's Disease: A National Population Based Survey in South Korea.
Considering the increasing prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD), the lack of awareness and knowledge regarding PD may be barriers to the early diagnosis and the provision of optimal care to affected patients. This study aimed to investigate the awareness and knowledge about PD among the general population in South Korea and to identify the factors that are associated with these parameters.



We developed a structured, 22-item questionnaire that consisted of both open-ended and close-ended questions. A total of 1,000 people from the general public were randomly sampled in proportion to the country's population density and were questioned by well-trained interviewers. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the factors associated with awareness and knowledge of PD.



Age, household income and education level were independently associated with awareness of PD. Subjects between 40 and 59 years of age and those who had completed more than 12 years of education showed more awareness of PD. Regarding knowledge about PD, younger subjects exhibited the least knowledge compared to respondents between 40 and 59 years of age and those above 60 years of age. Low socioeconomic status tended to be associated with poor knowledge of PD.



Awareness and knowledge of PD showed hierarchical gradients with respect to age, income and education level. Pertinent educational strategies and approaches targeting specific subgroups are necessary to improve public awareness and knowledge about PD.
Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sunkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jinyoung
J
Youn
Eungseok
E
Oh
Jinse
J
Park
Suyeon
S
Park
Ji Sun
JS
Kim
Wooyoung
W
Jang
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult