Highlights
- •Almost a quarter of Chileans did not recognize at least one typical symptom of stroke.
- •Recognition of stroke symptoms and prompt presentation to the emergency depends on age and SES group.
- •There is a need for tailored educational campaigns.
Abstract
Background
Knowledge about stroke symptoms, correct decision in front of a stroke case and recognition
of stroke risk factors are crucial to fight against stroke burden. We aimed to assess
the stroke awareness among a sample of the Chilean population.
Methods
A closed-ended questions structured survey was applied in November 2019 using a computer-assisted
telephone interviewing system. Probabilistic sample, random selection and stratification
for region was used. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to estimate the
association between participants’ characteristics and responses.
Results
Of 706 participants, only 74.4% (95% CI 70.9-77.5) recognized at least one typical
stroke symptom. Most (586, 82.4% 95% CI 75.2-89.7) chose to contact the emergency
ambulance or directly go to the emergency department in case of a stroke symptom and
recognized at least one risk factor (692, 97.9% CI 96.7-98.8). In multivariable analysis,
sociodemographic characteristics associated to a worse recognition of at least one
stroke symptom were being men (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.96), being 55 years old or older
(OR 0.59 95% CI 0.37-0.93) and from the lowest socioeconomic level (SES) (OR 0.33
95% CI 0.16-0.67). Female sex was associated with lower stroke risk factor knowledge
(OR 0.64 95% IC 0.47-0.87). Participants who recognized at least one typical stroke
symptom and would promptly seek care at an emergency department differed significantly
between SES (p=0.001) and age groups (p=0.035).
Conclusions
We found insufficient knowledge about stroke symptoms and best decisions making in
the Chilean population. We describe gaps that can be targeted in future stroke awareness
campaigns. There is a need to strengthen tailored stroke education particularly for
underserved populations.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 15, 2022
Accepted:
September 16,
2022
Received in revised form:
September 13,
2022
Received:
July 26,
2022
Identification
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2022.106795
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
