Barriers to dementia examination and dectection among people over 50 in provinces in Vietnam and some related factors

Background: Dementia is one of the main causes of disability and dependency in the elderly; However, the rate of patients with undetected dementia is still quite high. This study aims to describe barriers to dementia examination among people over 50 in some provinces of Vietnam and analyze some affecting factors. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was constructed on 411 people over 50 years old in 8 provinces in Vietnam We used a pre-designed questionnaire with the Likert scale to explore barriers to dementia examination. Results: The rate of people over 50 in the community knowing barriers to examination and detection of dementia is 27.6%. Among the barriers, the economy is most well-known to people. We also find out that there is an association between education and religion on barriers to dementia examination. Recommendation: Promoting communication to raise people’s awareness of dementia so that they can actively screen for this disease. In addition, the government should have free health programs for at-risk and economically disadvantaged groups for timely dementia detection and treatment. Keywords: People over 50 years old; barriers; dementia