ABSTRACT
Introducción: La exploración de creencias y conocimientos sobre la demencia y su prevención permite conocer las concepciones erróneas sobre la salud cerebral y cognitiva, el conocimiento de los factores de riesgo para la demencia y las acciones implementadas por la población general para prevenir el declive cognitivo. La determinación de los factores protectores o de riesgo, permite el diseño de intervenciones encaminadas a potenciar el conocimiento sobre la prevención de las demencias. Objetivo: Explorar la evidencia disponible acerca de los factores protectores y de riesgo que tienen un impacto sobre la demencia y que incrementan o reducen el riesgo de desarrollarla; así como el nivel de conocimiento existente en el público general sobre la demencia y su prevención. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica y documental en fuentes de datos digitales. Para la búsqueda se utilizaron, en inglés y español, las siguientes palabras clave: "conocimiento público sobre demencia", "factores protectores", "factores de riesgo", "prevención de demencia". Las consultas se realizaron en Scopus, EBSCO Health, PubMed (buscador), SciELO y PsycINFO. Conclusiones: La evidencia acumulada hasta la fecha sobre algunos factores, tales como dieta, nivel de colesterol, hipertensión, obesidad, depresión, inactividad física y cognitiva, y hábito de fumar, sustentan la importancia del estilo de vida en la prevención de las demencias. Las investigaciones sugieren que el conocimiento sobre el potencial para la prevención de la demencia es pobre, por lo que se hacen necesarios programas que incrementen el conocimiento público sobre la demencia y qué hacer para prevenirla.
Introduction: The exploration of beliefs and knowledge about dementia and its prevention provides insight into misconceptions about brain and cognitive health, as well as knowledge about the risk factors for dementia and regarding actions implemented by the general population to prevent cognitive decline. The determination of protective or risk factors allows the design of interventions aimed at enhancing knowledge about dementia prevention. Objective: To explore the available evidence about the protective and risk factors that have an impact on dementia and that increase or reduce the risk of developing it; as well as the level of existing knowledge among the general public about dementia and its prevention. Methods: A literature and document review was carried out in digital data sources. The following keywords, in English and Spanish, were used for the search: conocimiento público sobre demencia [public knowledge about dementia], factores protectores [protective factors], factores de riesgo [risk factors], prevención de demencia [dementia prevention]. The consultations were performed in Scopus, EBSCO Health, PubMed (search engine), SciELO and PsycINFO. Conclusions: Up to date, the accumulated evidence about some factors, such as diet, cholesterol level, hypertension, obesity, depression, physical and cognitive inactivity, and smoking support the importance of lifestyle in dementia prevention. Research suggests that knowledge about the potential for dementia prevention is poor; therefore, programs are needed to increase public knowledge about dementia and about what to do to prevent it.
ABSTRACT
Background: Antibiotics act as a therapeutic weapon in eradicating pathogens. Antibiotics are the most common group of drugs misused for self-medication. This is a global public health concern and is one of the major contributing factors to antibiotic resistance (ABR). This study aimed to assess the knowledge and beliefs of the public in Qatar regarding appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used to collect the information from the participants based on an adapted questionnaire from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) between September – November 2018. The study enrolled 1000 par-ticipants who visited two large emergency departments (ED) of public hospitals in Qatar. Results: The mean knowledge and belief scores were 55.07±15.87 and 66.57±23.13 respectively. 42% of the participants had moderate knowledge regarding antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance. The majori-ty of the participants (64.8%) believed that antibiotics fight against bacteria and viruses. The educational level significantly influences the belief of the participants. Graduates possess a higher belief score of 11.75±12.5 (P=0.001) compared to others. Conclusion: The key findings of this study highlighted the existing gap in knowledge among the public. A community-based health education program should be launched to promote judicious of use antibiotics