Awareness, Perceptions, Stigma, Attitudes, and Help-Seeking Behavior Regarding Alzheimer's Disease Among Older Adults...

To assess awareness, perceptions, stigma, attitudes, and help-seeking behavior related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) among older adults in Nigeria.

This 12-month community-based cross-sectional study (May 2024-April 2025) was conducted across 12 purposively selected urban and rural communities, representing Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. A total of 744 older adults (≥ 60 years; mean age = 70.3) were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Questionnaire (ADAQ), a validated instrument covering sociodemographic characteristics, AD awareness, perceptions, stigma, attitudes, help-seeking behavior, and diagnostic care barriers. Descriptive statistics and chi-square (χ²) tests were conducted using SPSS v22.0, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05.

Overall, 64.9% of respondents were aware of AD, although 66.8% held negative perceptions. High perceived stigma (62.1%) and undesirable attitudes (71.4%) were common. Only 26.2% reported appropriate help-seeking behavior. Key barriers to AD diagnostic care included lack of specialists (85.8%), high costs (84.3%), and limited access to services (80.9%). Significant associations were found between AD awareness and age (χ² = 6.432, p = 0.011), gender (χ² = 3.833, p = 0.020), marital status (χ² = 2.319, p = 0.032), living arrangement (χ² = 1.377, p = 0.010), and income (χ² = 2.363, p = 0.031), but not with education (χ² = 1.765, p = 0.163) or religion (χ² = 3.832, p = 0.521).

Despite moderate awareness, perceptions and attitudes toward AD among older Nigerian adults remain largely unfavorable. Stigma and structural barriers continue to impede timely diagnosis and care. Community-targeted interventions are essential to improve AD literacy and health-seeking behaviors in this population.