Community literacy on dementia prevention in the UAE

Dementia is a progressive neurocognitive disorder and a leading cause of disability among older adults worldwide. Although ageing is the strongest risk factor, a considerable proportion of cases may be prevented or delayed through modification of lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), dementia is an emerging public health concern, with limited data on community awareness and prevention literacy. This cross-sectional study was conducted over eight months among adults aged 18 years and above residing in the UAE. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire distributed through both in-person and online platforms, assessing socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, medical history, and awareness of dementia prevention strategies. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, with descriptive statistics summarizing the data and chi-square tests assessing associations, considering p≤0.05 as statistically significant. A total of 573 participants were included, the majority being under 25 years of age (64.4%) and female (58.1%), with 63.5% having graduate-level education or higher. Overall, 86% demonstrated good literacy, while 14% had poor literacy. Media was the most common source of information (52%) and the most preferred educational channel (26.7%), followed by expert-led talks (24.1%) and physician advice (23.5%). Gender showed a statistically significant association with literacy (p=0.012), with males demonstrating higher literacy levels (90.0%) compared to females (82.6%), while no significant association was observed with age (p=0.778) or education level (p=0.224). Despite relatively high literacy levels, reliance on non-specialist information sources and gaps in comprehensive understanding persist, highlighting the need for policy-driven, population-level health education strategies that integrate evidence-based messaging into media and primary healthcare systems to strengthen dementia prevention and reduce future disease burden in the UAE.

Dr. Jayakumary Muttappallymyalil holds an MBBS (1993), MD in Community Medicine (1998) from Bangalore University, and a Ph.D. in Community Medicine with a focus on Infectious Diseases (2017) from the University of Kerala, India. She served as faculty at the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Kannur, Kerala, before joining Gulf Medical University, Ajman, UAE, in 2009, where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate programs including MPH and MDS. Her research interests span determinants of health, non-communicable and infectious diseases, and environmental influences on health. She has 170 publications, over 100 conference presentations, and has received 29 research and scholarly awards, nine international scholarships, and seven travel grants. Notable honors include the Sri Kallu Ram Memorial Young Scientist Award (2005) and the Sri R N Roy Award for Best Paper in the Indian Journal of Public Health (2003). She has secured research grants from Harvard University, the Emirates Foundation, and UAE Tobacco Collaborative Research, among others. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Arizona, USA.