Abstract 1122‐000239: Understanding The Gap in Public Stroke Awareness in India’s Younger Generation

Abstract

Introduction : Stroke is one of the major leading causes of death and disability in India. One reason is the lack of stroke awareness in India. With the adoption of an unhealthy lifestyle like a lack of physical exercise, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, newer stroke cases are more prevalent in young adults. I surveyed about 100 high school students from urban cities in India to assess their stroke knowledge and decide how to take measures to bring more awareness about its symptoms, risk factors, and new effective treatments. Methods : I randomly selected high school students(9th‐12th graders) from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka states to participate in the survey I created. I distributed multiple‐choice anonymous questionnaires to hundreds of high school students. The participants completed survey questions to the best of their ability. The survey assessed candidates' demographic characteristics, knowledge of stroke symptoms, stroke risk factors, ability to identify stroke symptoms, and knowledge about stroke‐related surgeries. It is important to note that these surveys were primarily sent to high school students in urban areas, where the knowledge and resources are relatively better than the rural areas. Results : I received a total of 91 survey responses from high schoolers across different states in India (30% were from Madhya Pradesh, 40% were from Maharashtra and 30% were from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh). Even though 53.8% of the respondents reported some level of prior knowledge about the stroke, the rest of the respondents simply did not know or had misconceptions about stroke. Nearly ¾ did not know any stroke risk factors, warning signs, or recognize that the brain gets affected during the stroke. Only 27.5% of the students have heard of the popular acronym BE FAST(Balance Eyes Face Arms Speech Time) which is used to detect stroke in a patient. It is shocking that only 12.1% of the respondents have received an education on stroke at least once in their lifetime. Conclusions : The high schoolers have a good recognition of some basic facts of stroke. However, they have a poor understanding of stroke risk factors, the severity of the disease, and the treatment availability. However, there is hope. More than 57% of the high schoolers in my survey mentioned that they were willing to learn about stroke and ways to prevent and detect it. So it is our duty to educate the younger generation about the dangers of stroke and how to prevent, as well as to detect it. We should strive to provide access to these children in the hope of helping spread awareness all around India one step at a time.