ABSTRACT

Purpose Parkinson disease (PD) is reported to be the fastest-growing neurological condition worldwide. By 2030, more than 1.2 million people are expected to have PD. Although the mean age of onset is 60 years, many younger individuals may sometimes develop youngonset forms of PD in their 30s or 40s. In addition, the current young generation are often close family members or relatives of people with PD. There is limited research on college students' perceptions and knowledge of PD in the United States. Therefore, the current study examined knowledge and attitudes about PD among college students enrolled at a university in the midwestern United States. Methods Participants included 206 undergraduate students (females= 121; males= 85) with an average age of 21. Participants represented different ethnicities, background majors, and years of study. All participants completed a three-part online survey comprising a demographic survey, a knowledge survey, and an attitudes survey. Results The study found that participants were more aware of externally observable PD symptoms than the nonmotor symptoms. The results also indicated that participants had a positive overall attitude towards individuals with PD. Conclusions In summary, the current study's findings indicated a strong need for additional educational programs to address the current lack of knowledge about different symptoms and to replace misconceptions and negative attitudes with current facts and knowledge about PD and its possible management.