National women's knowledge of stroke warning signs, overall and by race/ethnic group.
Stroke
; 45(4): 1180-2, 2014 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24646615
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Recognition of stroke warning signs may reduce treatment delays. The purpose of this study was to evaluate contemporary knowledge of stroke warning signs and knowledge to call 9-1-1, among a nationally representative sample of women, overall and by race/ethnic group.METHODS:
A study of cardiovascular disease awareness was conducted by the American Heart Association in 2012 among English-speaking US women ≥25 years identified through random-digit dialing (n=1205; 54% white, 17% black, 17% Hispanic, and 12% other). Knowledge of stroke warning signs, and what to do first if experiencing stroke warning signs, was assessed by standardized open-ended questions.RESULTS:
Half of women surveyed (51%) identified sudden weakness/numbness of face/limb on one side as a stroke warning sign; this did not vary by race/ethnic group. Loss of/trouble talking/understanding speech was identified by 44% of women, more frequently among white versus Hispanic women (48% versus 36%; P<0.05). Fewer than 1 in 4 women identified sudden severe headache (23%), unexplained dizziness (20%), or sudden dimness/loss of vision (18%) as warning signs, and 1 in 5 (20%) did not know 1 stroke warning sign. The majority of women said that they would call 9-1-1 first if they thought they were experiencing signs of a stroke (84%), and this did not vary among black (86%), Hispanic (79%), or white/other (85%) women.CONCLUSIONS:
Knowledge of stroke warning signs was low among a nationally representative sample of women, especially among Hispanics. In contrast, knowledge to call 9-1-1 when experiencing signs of stroke was high.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ethnicity
/
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
/
Stroke
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Stroke
Year:
2014
Type:
Article