Public awareness of aphasia in Kuwait

Background: International public surveys have generally indicated very poor awareness and knowledge of aphasia among the general public. However, none has assessed aphasia awareness in Kuwait until now. Aim: The aim is to assess and investigate public awareness and knowledge of aphasia in Kuwait. Two samples were taken in 2013 and 2017 to examine awareness of aphasia over time. Methods & Procedures: The same survey method used in international studies was adapted. Face-to-face surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2017 in the same shopping mall in Kuwait City in order to compare the results and examine improvements over the four-year period. Outcomes & Results: A total of 626 individuals were surveyed: 365 in 2013 and 261 in 2017. The respondents who had heard of aphasia were 14.2% and 9.2% of the total samples of 2013 and 2017, respectively, and there was a significant association between the number of people who had heard of aphasia and the total number of samples. Focusing on the respondents who had heard of aphasia, chi-square results showed a significant difference between the two samples in terms of basic knowledge, which reveals an improvement in basic knowledge among those who had heard of aphasia. The results indicated that the number of females (72.7%) aware of aphasia was greater than males (27.3%). As for age, 42.9% of those aware of aphasia were aged 50 or older. However, statistical results showed no significant association between the level of knowledge of aphasia and these demographic groups. The respondents' sources of aphasia information in order of frequency were: relatives/friends,TV/radio,workplace,andthen newspapers/magazines. Conclusions: Four years after the first survey, public awareness of aphasia remained low and with no improvement. The minimal public knowledge of aphasia in Kuwait makes it imperative to raise awareness. Future initiatives must be directed towards providing adequate knowledge in order to increase the health outcomes for people with aphasia and their families.