Perceptions of dementia amongst the general public across Latin America: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Perceptions of dementia are important determinants of support, treatment and care received in the dementia community. Understanding these perceptions are vital for regions such as Latin America, where there is a rapid increase in people living with dementia. The aim of this study is to review and synthesise the general public’s perceptions of dementia in Latin America, what factors are associated with these perceptions, and how they differ between countries in the region.

Methods: Searches were completed across five databases (Medline, SCOPUS, PsychINFO, SciELO, and WoS). Studies were required to capture attitudes or knowledge of dementia in the general public residing within Latin America. English, Spanish and Portuguese search terms were used. Results were synthesised narratively.

Results: About 1574 unique records were identified. Following lateral searches, de-duplication and screening, six articles (four studies) met the inclusion criteria for this review. All the studies were quantitative research from Brazil (median, n = 722). There was evidence of a limited to moderate knowledge of dementia, though a significant minority had negative or stigmatising attitudes. Only higher levels of education were consistently associated with better attitudes and knowledge of dementia in the region.

Conclusion: There is a need for more in-depth research about attitudes of the general public across Latin America, particularly outside of São Paulo state, Brazil. There appears to be a greater need to raise awareness of dementia amongst less educated Latin American groups.

Keywords:

• Health literacy
• dementia literacy
• Brazil
• knowledge
• attitudes
• beliefs
• adults

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the British Council Researcher Links Programme for networking NF, CKS, JB and RF.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 In this instance, “Latino” was used to reflect the terminology used in the original paper, which is used to refer anyone with cultural ties to Latin America. The term is not intended to imply gender, or the strength and type of affiliation with Latin America.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the UK Research and Innovation's Global Challenges Research Fund (ES/P010938/1).