CULTURAL BELIEFS ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE IN MEXICAN AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES WITH AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

In order to improve the delivery of care and enhance participation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research, it is critical to understand existing beliefs about the disease among families harboring mutations causing autosomal dominant AD (ADAD). Conducting prevention trials among at-risk populations could provide critical insights. However, their involvement necessitates their understanding of the biological nature of the illness. The objective of this study is to explore cultural beliefs about AD among Mexican and Mexican-American families harboring ADAD mutations, exploring differences between persons living in rural versus urban environments. The Cultural Beliefs about AD (CBAD) questionnaire was administered to 83 Mexicans and 27 Mexican-Americans who were members of families identified as having ADAD mutations and who participated in a larger study. The CBAD is a validated 26-item questionnaire using a Likert scale to rate whether or not they agreed with statements such as “Alzheimer's disease is a form of insanity” and “Alzheimer's disease results from a curse”. We compared responses between persons living in rural and urban settings in Mexico and the U.S. settings using chi-square tests. Urban participants (n = 31) had higher levels of education (14.7 vs. 10.6 years, p<0.05), and a higher mean age (41.5 vs. 35.6, p<0.05) relative to rural participants (n = 79). Rural participants were significantly more likely to endorse that AD can result from a curse (23.5% vs. 0%, p