How Effective Are “Community” Stroke Screening Programs at Improving Stroke Knowledge and Prevention Practices?

Abstract

Background and Purpose-Community stroke screening is a commonly used prevention strategy to identify and educate those at risk. Although the goal of this approach is to reduce the overall occurrence of stroke, its long-term benefit remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether attendance of a stroke screening changes knowledge or prevention practices in persons at risk for stroke 3 months later. Methods-A stroke screening event was held following the National Stroke Association guidelines, with health screening, counseling, and education. Knowledge about stroke was measured by a questionnaire before and after the event. At 3 months, attendees identified at risk for stroke were contacted by telephone to determine their retained knowledge and any specific actions taken as a result of the health counseling. Results-At 3 months, 78 persons were contacted. Knowledge of stroke warning signs increased from 59% to 94% after screening but decreased to 77% at 3 months. At 3 months, 73% had done nothing to change their health practices. Conclusions-Community stroke screening has modest effects on health behavior, knowledge of stroke risk factors, and warning signs. (Stroke. 2003;34:e247-e249.)Key Words: education Ⅲ prevention Ⅲ risk factors Ⅲ screening Ⅲ stroke I mproving community knowledge of stroke risk factors and stroke symptoms is a critical factor in improving access to preventative stroke treatments and acute stroke intervention. Recent efforts to educate the public have increased knowledge of warning signs but did not significantly improve risk factor recognition. 1 Community stroke screenings are a commonly used strategy to improve recognition of stroke warning signs and risk factors, but their benefits in changing health behaviors remain unknown. The goal of this study was to determine whether attendance of a stroke screening changes knowledge or prevention practices in persons at risk for stroke 3 months later. Subjects and MethodsSubjects consisted of a convenience sample of participants who attended an advertised community stroke screening conducted in the spring of 2000. Funding for the screening program was provided by an unrestricted educational grant from the National Stroke Association and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Human subjects approval was granted by the sponsor agency, Mercy Healthcare Sacramento and California State University Sacramento.The screening program followed the guidelines and format for stroke screening recommended by the National Stroke Association (NSA). 2 Participants completed the NSA self-risk assessment that detailed knowledge of stroke, medical history, lifestyle, and current prevention practices. The participants who consented to participate in the follow-up study supplied a contact number for follow-up.Healthcare professionals manned screening stations for blood pressure measurement, carotid bruit detection, cholesterol measurement, and atrial fibrillation screening.Blood pressure was measured by a registered nurse using the Omron automatic blood pressure cuff. ...

Comprehensive Overview of Nursing and Interdisciplinary Care of the Acute Ischemic Stroke Patient

“…Only 27% of patients attending the screening had implemented an intervention to decrease stroke risk. 305 Similar studies showed that Ϸ50% of those attending a stroke screening made at least 1 behavioral change to reduce stroke risk and that community education improved the participant's knowledge of stroke warning signs and symptoms. 306 -308 The National Stroke Association states that "80% of strokes can be prevented" (http://www.stroke.org/site/ PageServer?pagenameϭPREVENT).…”

“…303, 304 The effect of stroke screening on knowledge and behavioral changes has been studied. 305 One screening used the National Stroke Association guidelines. Participants were evaluated before and after screening and 3 months after the event.…”

A significant decrease in blood pressure through a family-based nutrition health education programme among community residents in Taiwan

“…A recent study showed that the effect of the health education programme on knowledge and warning signs of stroke decreased at 3 months of follow-up (14) . However, the present study showed that a family-based nutrition health education programme on blood pressure lowering had significant effectiveness at 6-month follow-up.…”

Can Mass Media Influence Emergency Department Visits for Stroke?

“…8,20 Based on the theory that awareness of stroke warning signs is needed to ensure individuals recognize and seek immediate medical attention, [21][22][23] over the past 2 decades considerable time, money, and efforts have been expended on assessing the level of public knowledge 21,24 -37 and the effect of awarenessbuilding initiatives, including mass media campaigns. 21,27,39,40 However, research on the relationship between knowledge of stroke warning signs and time to presentation at hospital remains limited, and the ability of advertising to shorten time to presentation is unclear. In 1992, Alberts et al 41 reported that an educational campaign increased the proportion of patients arriving at a specialist (tertiary) medical facility within 24 hours from 39.2% to 85.5%, and a 2000 study of 259 stroke patients in the Philippines found that failure to recognize symptoms as serious and stroke-related was associated with delayed presentation.…”