Public dementia awareness conceptualization in community-based campaigns and educational programs: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Public dementia awareness is a central pillar of international public health strategies, yet its conceptualization remains fragmented. Conceptual ambiguity in literature limits comparability and hinders the design and evaluation of campaigns and interventions. We aimed to examine how public dementia awareness is defined in population-level initiatives and to develop a literature-based conceptual model to guide future research and practice. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a conceptual systematic review on studies describing community-based dementia awareness campaigns, educational programmes or plans. Explicit and implicit definitions of awareness were extracted and synthesized using an iterative conceptual analysis process. RESULTS: Conceptualization of public dementia awareness was heterogeneous across studies (N = 22). Most relied on proxy constructs, such as factual knowledge, understanding, attitudes, and behavioural intentions. These elements clustered into four recurring domains: cognitive, affective, social, and behavioural. Based on the synthesis, we developed a conceptual model distinguishing antecedents of awareness, core awareness dimensions, and proximal and distal consequents at individual and societal levels. CONCLUSION: Public dementia awareness is a complex, multidimensional construct that extends beyond knowledge acquisition. The proposed model offers a framework to clarify the construct and support more consistent dementia awareness initiatives in community contexts.