Knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms among adults with type 2 diabetes in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: an institution-Based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Stroke is a global public health concern with type 2 diabetes being one of the common risk factors. Knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms among type 2 diabetes patients is largely unknown in developing countries like Ethiopia. The inability to recognize stroke warning symptoms accurately is an important cause of delay in seeking medical attention. We investigated knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms among adults with type 2 diabetes and the factors associated with these variables. Methods This was an institution-based cross-sectional study. We enrolled 470 adult type 2 diabetes patients using a systematic random sampling method from four government-managed hospitals in Addis Ababa from 1 to 30 February 2021. The Stroke Recognition Questionnaire was adapted to measure the knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics, source of information, and reaction to stroke were also measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and linear regression analysis was used to determine factors independently associated with knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms. Result The mean age of the participants was 50.6 ± 12.9 years. The mean score of knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms was 67.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Higher educational level (B = 2.007, 95% CI = 1.101, 2.914, P < 0.001), knowing someone diagnosed with stroke (B = 3.328, 95% CI = 2.734, 3.922, P < 0.001), and living with others (B = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.606, 2.954, P < 0.001) were independently associated with knowledge of stroke risk factors. Younger age (B = − 0.021, 95% CI= -0.038, 0.005, P = 0.01), higher educational level (B = 1.873, 95% CI = 1.017, 2.730, P < 0.001), and knowing someone diagnosed with stroke (B = 3.64, 95% CI = 3.079, 4.200, P < 0.001) were independently associated with knowledge of warning symptoms of stroke. Conclusion The mean score of knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms was 67.2% and 63.9%, respectively. Younger age, higher educational level, and living with other people are predictors of better knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning symptoms in this study. Future educational interventions should target type 2 diabetes adults with advancing age and the involvement of their family members.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Towards Stroke Prevention and Associated Factors Among Hypertensive Patients Attending North Shewa Public Hospitals, 2023

“…Compared with patients who were unable to read and write, hypertensive patients with secondary education and above had odds 5.1 times and 6.2 times greater, respectively, of having good stroke prevention knowledge. This nding is in line with previous studies conducted in Ethiopia ( 22) (23) and other countries, such as Nigeria, Ghana (24), India (25) and China(26). This might be because educated individuals have easy access to stroke-related information due to better interaction with the community and access to different media, such as magazines and the internet.…”

Navigating the Knowledge of Risk Factors, Warning Signs, of Stroke - A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study Among Saudi Adults in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

“…These findings were similar to previous findings by Chhabra et al, 2019, who reported that pharmacists are the primary source of the community’s information on stroke followed by physicians and nurses, respectively. 10 On the other hand, Getu et al study 59.8% of the respondents heard about the stroke from friends and relatives, 28 which is similar to our findings. Similarly, another recent study reported that textbooks and other educational material were the most common source of information, reported by 38.3% of the respondents, while familiar and friends were reported by 26.9%.…”

“…Although the current knowledge of Saudi adults about the warning signs was lower than the previous study among Ethiopians the author reported 63.9% of the total good knowledge of warning signs of stroke. 28 In this study, most of the respondents recognized that numbness or weakness of the face and/or limbs (71.9%), followed by, severe headache with unknown cause (71.9%), blurred vision (63.4%), 27.3% of the respondents thought that chest pain or heart palpitations are a most recognized warning signs of stroke. However, less than half of the respondents (46.3%) thought that difficulty in speaking and understanding was a warning sign of stroke.…”

“…These findings were comparable to previous findings, where 67.2% of the patients were found to have good knowledge of the risk factors. 28 Similarly, another recent study revealed a 45.81% of the respondents had adequate knowledge of stroke risk factors. 13 On the other hand, another study among teenagers in Spain reported poor knowledge of cerebrovascular disease was observed in a sample of teenagers.…”

Assessment of the Awareness of Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Stroke in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Rawalpindi: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

“…About 38% of participants acknowledged that sudden difficulty in walking as a warning sign of the stroke and this was also supported by another study in the literature [13]. Least identified by this study population as a warning sign of stroke was difficulty in seeing by one or two eyes and it was only identified by 29% of participants, whereas another study also presented this sign as a warning sign of stroke [14].…”