Premium
P2‐325: A COMPARISON OF HEALTH UTILITY SCORES CALCULATED USING UNITED KINGDOM AND CANADIAN PREFERENCE WEIGHTS IN AN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SAMPLE
Author(s) -
Oremus Mark,
Tarride JeanEric,
Clayton Natasha,
Raina Parminder
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.05.1004
Subject(s) - confidence interval , preference , wilcoxon signed rank test , demography , medicine , population , eq 5d , quality of life (healthcare) , health utilities index , gerontology , disease , statistics , health related quality of life , mathematics , mann–whitney u test , environmental health , nursing , sociology
Background: The predicted increase in dementia prevalence over the next few decades poses enormous health and socio-economic challenges. In the absence of a cure, strategies to prevent or delay the onset of dementia within the population have been proposed as imperative. This approach is complicated, however, by the relative paucity of research evidence between modifiable risk factors and dementia, and limited knowledge of applying promotion, prevention and early intervention (PPEI) concepts to dementia. Nevertheless, several nations are attempting such an approach and Alzheimer’s Disease International (2009) recommends governments make dementia a health priority and develop national plans to deal with the disease.Methods:A number of national frameworks for dementia were identified, most included some population health approaches. Results: Common elements were: Public education campaigns to improve public and professional awareness and understanding of dementia,Promotion of early/ timely diagnosis,Increase the workforce to meet the likely increase in demand for services as a result of education, Provide sufficient guidance and support for people with dementia and their carers,Funding for research, and Strategies promoting the prevention message ’what’s good for your heart is good for your heart’ and healthy lifestyle messages (stopping smoking, eating healthily, exercising regularly). There are barriers to applying a population health approach to dementia PPEI. Identified barriers included: Difficulty in applying early intervention strategies at the individual level due to difficulties in establishing a diagnosis of dementia in the early stages, Inadequate scientific evidence regarding risk and protective factors for dementia, Attitudes and stigma, Little developmental work towards a potential population health model for dementia in Australia, and Policy barriers e.g. lack of linkage to healthy ageing, mental health or chronic disease initiatives. Conclusions: The considerable evidence that p opulation health approaches including mass marketing campaigns can improve health outcomes and save health costs suggests that such an approach to dementia may reduce the impact of the condition. A lthough barriers exist to applying such an approach to dementia, the evidence suggests that it is feasible to do so and many western countries are adopting such an approach.