Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to draw students' attention to dementia and give students the right perception of dementia patients by comparing and analyzing students' awareness of dementia and educational needs of students in Honam area. In addition, the study will provide basic data that will help people develop education programs to prevent dementia. Methods: The study was conducted from May 10, 2018 to June 14, 2018, for 957 college students of physical therapy at 11 universities in Gwangju and Jeonnam. All participants understood the purpose of the study and agreed to participate in the study. Out of a total of 957 respondents, 950 people participated in the study, except for the seven who were unsuccessful in the survey. Results: Interest in dementia was found to be moderate, and many respondents answered that they had "information about dementia". Among them, broadcasting accounted for 41 percent of the total. Dementia awareness was categorized in four areas, symptom, disease, treatment, and nursing. In general, there is a low perception in all areas and improvement is needed. The need for dementia education was also different from what we thought. 649 students(68%) answered that they did not have dementia education. This is 349(36%) more than the 300 students(32%) who answered "Yes". Conclusion: The results show that college students lack awareness of dementia. In order to improve awareness of dementia, the government and community should be more interested in managing dementia, and active efforts to develop positive thinking and attitudes towards dementia.
