Stroke awareness in a Sri Lankan community Introduction

Ranawaka, Udaya K.; Silva, H. De; Balasuriya, JC; Puvanendiran, S.; Jayasekara, Buddhini; Wijesekera, J.

doi:10.4038/jccp.v47i1.7767

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…There was no significant difference in awareness between adults and schoolchildren, or between those <60 years and ≥60 years of age. 19 There are only a few reports on stroke awareness from South Asia, and this study highlighted many areas of deficient knowledge on stroke in a community setting and the need for comprehensive public education programs.…”

Section: Figure 1 Distribution Of State-sector Hospitals With Neurologists and Stroke Units By Administrative District In Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 78%

Stroke Care in Sri Lanka: The Way We Were, the Way We Are, and the Way Forward

Ranawaka

2018

Journal of Stroke Medicine

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Sri Lanka is a lower-middle–income country with a high Human Development Index. Stroke is a primary cause of death and disability in the country, and demographic and epidemiological transitions are likely to lead to a large increase in the burden of stroke. Although impressive health indicators have been achieved due to an excellent primary health-care structure, Sri Lanka has been slow to develop and expand modern stroke care. A majority of the patients with acute strokes are treated in state-sector hospitals where facilities for state-of-the-art acute stroke care are limited. Neurologists are low in number, and general physicians provide acute stroke care for most of the patients. Epidemiological data on stroke in Sri Lanka are scarce. Previous studies have shown low quality of stroke care and significant gaps in stroke awareness. Noteworthy gains have been made since the turn of the century, and recent trends in development of stroke care are promising. There is a clear need to improve manpower, infrastructure, and training that will lead to improvements in the existing services in terms of acute care, rehabilitation, and community support. More research data are needed to guide strategies to minimize the burden of stroke, and more concerted efforts are needed to make stroke care in Sri Lanka ready to face the challenges of the 21st century.

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Section: Figure 1 Distribution Of State-sector Hospitals With Neurologists and Stroke Units By Administrative District In Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 78%

Stroke Care in Sri Lanka: The Way We Were, the Way We Are, and the Way Forward

Ranawaka

2018

Journal of Stroke Medicine

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“…It may also point to a lack of sufficient disease knowledge on the part of health workers in Uganda. A study in Pakistan found that junior and future doctors had poor hypertension knowledge leading to sub-optimal management of hypertension cases (21). Another study in Iran showed only 20% of physicians could properly manage a patient with hypertension (22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Dietary Salt Knowledge, Perceptions, and Beliefs on Consumption Choices after Stroke in Uganda

Kaddumukasa

Katabira

Sajatovic

et al. 2017

Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases

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Background Previous research on Uganda’s post-stroke population revealed that their level of dietary salt knowledge did not lead to healthier consumption choices. Purpose Identify barriers and motivators for healthy dietary behaviors and evaluate the understanding of widely accepted salt regulation mechanisms among post-stroke patients in Uganda. Methods Convergent parallel mixed methods triangulation design comprised a cross sectional survey (n=81) and 8 Focus Group Discussions with 7–10 post-stroke participants in each group. We assessed participant characteristics and obtained insights into their salt consumption attitudes, perceptions and knowledge. Qualitative responses were analyzed using an inductive approach with thematic analytic procedures. Relationships between healthy dietary salt compliance, dietary salt knowledge and participant characteristics were assessed using logistic regression analyses. Results Healthy dietary salt consumption behaviors were associated with basic salt knowledge (p<0.0001) but no association was found between compliance and salt-disease related knowledge (p=0.314). Only 20% and 7% obtained health-related salt knowledge from their health facility and educational sources, respectively, whereas 44% obtained this information from media personalities; 92% of participants had no understanding of nutrition labels and only 25% of the study population consumed potash – an inexpensive salt substitute that is both rich in potassium and low in sodium. Conclusion One barrier to healthy dietary consumption choices among Uganda’s stroke survivors is a lack of credible disease-related information. Improving healthcare provider stroke-related dietary knowledge in Uganda and encouraging the use of potash as a salt substitute would help reduce hypertension and thereby lower the risk of stroke.

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“…There is no data currently available on awareness of TIAs in Sri Lankan patients or the public. Previous studies have shown low levels of awareness of stroke among stroke victims, patients at high risk of stroke, and in the community [34,35], and it is likely that awareness on TIA is similarly low. Awareness of diagnosis and emergency management of TIAs among first contact Sri Lankan doctors is inadequate [20], and efforts should be made to update their knowledge of TIAs and the need for timely referral of patients for specialist opinion.…”

Section: Tia In Sri Lanka: Where Are We and What Can We Do?mentioning

confidence: 97%