Assessing Chronic Kidney Disease Knowledge, Beliefs, and Risk among Detroit Residents

ABSTRACT Background In 2020, Detroit residents’ crude kidney disease mortality rate was 1.48 times the state’s rate. Purpose Evaluated Detroit residents’ chronic kidney disease (CKD) knowledge, risk, belief, and preventative practices. Additionally, it examined the association between residents’ CKD knowledge, their sociodemographics, CKD risk and belief. Methods 378 Detroit residents, ages 20 years or older, were recruited from May 2019-August 2021 to complete the Qualtrics survey on their CKD knowledge, beliefs, and risk. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were conducted to meet the study’s purpose. Results Most participants were unaware of dry and itchy skin as a CKD symptom (60%). African Americans (β = −1.5; p = .002) and those with a high school education or less (β = −1.46; p = .038) had lower knowledge scores than White residents and those with higher education. Participants’ knowledge score increased by 0.64 as CKD risk score increased by 1 (β = 0.64; p = .019). Discussion CKD knowledge is low among Detroit residents and associated with race, education, and risk level. Translation to Health Education Practice: African American Detroit residents would benefit from targeted marketing and communication plans that increase their knowledge of CKD prevention. It also depicts key components (e.g., risks factors) that should be communicated in the messages.