What would encourage help-seeking for memory problems among UK-based South Asians? A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Minority ethnic groups often experience delayed presentation to dementia services, frequently in crisis.
• Culture-specific barriers to help-seeking are suspected as a primary cause for late diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers to timely dementia help-seeking among individuals from South Asian backgrounds.
• To determine the essential features of an intervention designed to overcome these barriers.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing focus groups and individual interviews.
• Recruitment of 53 South Asian adults in community settings in Greater London.
• Purposive sampling to ensure maximum variation in participants' backgrounds and experiences.

Main Results:

• Four primary barriers to timely dementia diagnosis were identified.
• Barriers related to help-seeking for memory problems and the threshold for seeking help were significant.
• Insights were gathered on potential strategies to overcome these barriers and desired features for educational resources.

Conclusions:

• Features of a potential intervention to improve timely dementia diagnosis in South Asian populations have been identified.
• Further development and testing of such an intervention are warranted.