Differences in the awareness of stroke symptoms and emergency response by occupation in the Korean general population

Abstract

We evaluated the difference in awareness of stroke warning signs (SWS) and emergency response among occupational groups in the community-dwelling population. From the 2016 Korea Community Health Survey, a total of 10,445 individuals without stroke were included in the analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association of occupation with awareness of SWS and correct emergency response. SWS included the following: sudden numbness or weakness, sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech, sudden dizziness, sudden visual impairment, and sudden severe headache. Respondents’ occupation was classified into six groups: managers and professionals (MP); clerks; service and sales workers (SSW); agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers (AFFW); mechanical and manual laborers (MML); or housewives and unemployed people (HUP). Awareness of each SWS was the same with the highest for MP and lowest for AFFW. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, compared to MP (reference), AFFW (odds ratio 0.49; 95% confidence interval 0.36–0.67), HUP (0.55; 0.40–0.75), MML (0.57; 0.42–0.79), and SSW (0.62; 0.45–0.86) had significantly lower ORs for knowing at least one of the SWS. Additionally, AFFW (0.79; 0.66–0.96) and MML (0.76; 0.63–0.91) had significantly lower ORs for knowing all five SWS compared to MP. However, there was no significant occupational difference in correct emergency response when a stroke occurred. To improve stroke literacy and to reduce the disparity of awareness of SWS in community settings, public health efforts with an emphasis on AFFW and MML are needed.

Awareness, Recognition, and Response to Stroke among the General Public—An Observational Study

“…16 Lack of knowledge of warning signs of stroke and inadequate emergency response often lead to delays in delivery medical/emergency care within the golden hour. 17 However, knowledge of immediate action that is necessary in dealing with a stroke patient can reduce both mortality and morbidity among stroke patients by preventing delay in hospitalization. 18 Low stroke awareness limits acute stroke care in high-risk populations and makes effective early treatment difficult.…”

“… 16 Lack of knowledge of warning signs of stroke and inadequate emergency response often lead to delays in delivery medical/emergency care within the golden hour. 17 …”

Engaging social activities prevent stroke and myocardial infraction by raising awareness of warning symptoms: A cross-sectional survey study

“…However, further investigations are needed since some studies have also demonstrated contradictory results in that the urban residents knew more about the CVD symptoms ( 13 , 15 , 25 ). Socioeconomic factors such as high household income, high level of education, and white-collar occupations are known predictors of high knowledge of warning symptoms ( 13 – 17 , 19 , 20 , 25 ). This was also seen in our study, both for stroke and MI.…”

Stroke knowledge among emergency centre visitors: A cross-sectional multicenter survey

“…The stroke knowledge predictors held hugely debated in the literature. The education level is one of the most discussed factors [ 18 , 30 , 31 ]. As reported in the national data, our participants were mostly graduated from secondary school or university (61.6%).…”