Public stroke awareness among Gharbia governorate inhabitants: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Stroke is the most common acquired neurological disease in the adult population worldwide with an incidence of 16 million new cases every year responsible for about 6.1 million deaths and 130.6 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). The objectives of this work were to study the level of stroke awareness and the proper response for suspected stroke patients in urban and rural areas of Tanta City, Egypt. The study was conducted on 1869 Egyptian Citizens; 908 and 961 reside in urban and rural areas, respectively, who were submitted to a face-to-face interview using the stroke awareness questionnaire (Arabic version). Results Rural participants showed a significant reduction in acute cerebrovascular stroke (CVS) awareness and knowledge including the most affected organ by CVS, what are the risk factors, what are the early stroke symptoms, is there specific treatment for acute ischemic stroke, and what is the proper reaction when confronted with a case of acute CVS? Conclusion Urban populations have better recognition of stroke risk factors, early stroke symptoms, and the proper response when confronted with a case of acute CVS when compared with rural people possibly due to better socioeconomic status and higher educational levels.

Evaluating the influence of a 3-min online video on the community knowledge of stroke in four Arab countries

“…Since awareness campaigns need general budgeting and planning, the main barriers in Lebanon are the ongoing economic downturn, the health system collapse, and the political crisis ( 29 ). In Egypt, a low level of stroke knowledge was reported across four governorates ( 30 ), with participants from urban areas demonstrating better knowledge than their rural counterparts ( 31 ). Egypt and the UAE have established strategies to manage, prevent, and improve awareness of stroke ( 32–34 ) ( 35–39 ).…”

“…Worldwide national campaigns among the general public significantly improved knowledge of stroke ( 39 , 43 , 45 , 46 ) and emergency response behaviors ( 10 , 43 ). These campaigns varied in duration, from 1-week campaigns per year for 4 years to 50-month initiatives ( 31 ).…”