Knowledge of Chronic Kidney Disease among the General Population: A Questionnaire Survey in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

Public education programs about chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important activities worldwide. The present study investigated the knowledge of CKD in the general population of 58 out of 179 cities or towns in Hokkaido between 1 April and 30 September 2019. A total of 15,012 respondents who underwent specific health checkups at these centers answered the questionnaire. In response to a questionnaire item asking about the respondent’s familiarity with the term “CKD”, only 6% of the respondents answered “know it well” and 13% answered “heard of it”. In contrast, in response to a questionnaire item asking about the respondent’s familiarity with “chronic kidney disease”, 31% answered “know it well” and 33% answered “heard of it”. The leading avenue by which the respondents learned about CKD was television, followed by newspapers, magazines, and a family doctor or nurse. The leading component that the respondents considered essential for the diagnosis of CKD was proteinuria. These results indicated that the knowledge of CKD in Hokkaido prefecture is still inadequate. Many people did not appear to realize that the term “CKD” represents “chronic kidney disease”. Further continuous public education efforts are required to enlighten people about CKD.