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Abstract

Increasing the public's awareness of stroke is a public health priority. Our objective was to assess changes in the public's knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning signs in Michigan during a 5-year period characterized by a sustained statewide public education effort. Questions regarding knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning signs were included in the 1999 and 2004 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Surveys - random-digit-dialed statewide surveys of adults. Respondents were asked to report up to 3 risk factors and warning signs for stroke. Between 1999 and 2004, the proportion of respondents who reported 3 correct stroke warning signs increased substantially from 14.3 to 27.6% (p < 0.001), whereas the proportion reporting 3 correct risk factors remained almost unchanged (27.9 vs. 29.1%). The reporting of 2 warning signs in particular increased substantially over the 5-year period; 'any weakness or numbness' increased from 45.7 to 65.6%, while 'confusion, trouble speaking or understanding' increased from 29.9 to 46.5%. Knowledge of stroke warning signs increased across nearly all demographic subgroups, but remained poor for several high-risk groups including the elderly, minorities and those with less education. Knowledge of warning signs increased during this period while there was little change in knowledge of risk factors. The results suggest that these changes occurred in response to the public education campaign which focused primarily on warning signs. The findings further emphasize the need to target those subgroups who are at highest risk of stroke and where knowledge remains poorest. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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Knowledge of stroke risk factors, warning symptoms, and treatment among an Australian urban population.

Carl J. Wiggers, A. Yoon, C Levi … (2001)

Reduction in the risk of stroke and increase in the speed of hospital presentation after the onset of stroke both depend on the level of knowledge of stroke in the general population. The aim of the present study was to assess baseline knowledge regarding stroke risk factors, symptoms, treatment, and information resources. A community-based telephone interview survey was conducted in the Newcastle urban area in Australia. A total of 1278 potential participants between the ages of 18 to 80 were selected at random from an electronic telephone directory. A trained telephone interviewer conducted a telephone survey using the Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) program. A total of 822 participants completed the telephone interview. Six hundred three participants (73.4%) correctly identified the brain as the affected organ in stroke. The most common risk factors for stroke identified by respondents were smoking (identified by 324 [39.4%]) and stress (identified by 277 [33.7%]). The most common warning sign of stroke described by respondents was "blurred and double vision or loss of vision in an eye," listed by 198 (24.1%). A total of 626 (76.2%) respondents correctly listed >/=1 established stroke risk factor, but only 409 (49.8%) respondents correctly listed >/=1 warning sign. The level of knowledge in the community of established stroke risk factors, warning signs, and treatment as indicated by this survey suggests that a community-based education program to increase public knowledge of stroke may contribute to reducing the risk of stroke and to increasing the speed of hospital presentation after the onset of stroke.

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Telephone coverage and health survey estimates: evaluating the need for concern about wireless substitution.

Jason J. Luke, Richard Blumberg, M Cynamon (2006)

We sought to determine whether the exclusion of adults without landline telephones may bias estimates derived from health-related telephone surveys. We took data from the 2004 and 2005 National Health Interview Survey and used logistic regression to compare the odds of behavioral risk factors and health care service use for adults with landline telephones to those for adults with only wireless telephones and adults without any telephone service. When interviewed, 7.2% of adults, including those who did and did not have wireless telephones, did not have landline telephones. Relative to adults with landline telephones, adults without landline telephones had greater odds of smoking and being uninsured, and they had lower odds of having diabetes, having a usual place for medical care, and having received an influenza vaccination in the past year. As people substitute wireless telephones for landline telephones, the percentage of adults without landline telephones has increased significantly but is still low, which minimizes the bias resulting from their exclusion from telephone surveys. Bias greater than 1 percentage point is expected only for estimates of health insurance, smoking, binge drinking, having a usual place for care, and receiving an influenza vaccination.