Abstract
Background and purpose: Early recognition of stroke signs and symptoms is essential for emergent treatment and improvement of clinical outcomes. We examined efficacy of a stroke education program for junior high school students and their parents. Methods: From February 2010 to May 2011, 349 students in 11 classes of the 1 st grade of 3 junior high schools (12 - 13 years old) and their parents were enrolled. The subjects were divided into 2 groups; an intervention group (6 classes, 190 students) and a control group (5 classes, 159 students). Students in the intervention group received a 45-minutes lesson on stroke signs and symptoms, the FAST message (Facial droop, Arm weakness, Speech disturbance, Time to call 119), and stroke risk factors. School items consisting of a pen, file, magnet, sticky note with the FAST message, and stroke pamphlets were also distributed to students in the intervention group. Parents of the intervention group were educated indirectly through the stroke pamphlets and items. For all subjects, questionnaires on stroke knowledge were examined at the baseline, immediate post-lesson time and 3-month after the stroke lesson. Results: Percentages of correct answers were not significantly different between the 2 students groups at the baseline. Three-months after the stroke lesson, students in the intervention group answered more correctly than the control group in the questions of facial palsy (97% in the intervention group vs. 54% in the control group; P<0.001), speech disturbance (98% vs. 67%; P<0.001), hemiplegia (80% vs. 63%; P<0.001), calling 119 for stroke (88% vs. 57%; P<0.001), alcohol drinking (85% vs. 65%; P<0.001), smoking (70% vs. 51%; P<0.001), hypertension (81% vs. 68%; P=0.004) and the FAST message (96% vs. 10%; P<0.001). Parents of the intervention group also answered more correctly in the question of facial palsy (93% vs. 80%; P=0.001), speech disturbance (95% vs. 86%; P=0.008), hemiplegia (87% vs. 78%; P=0.032), calling 119 for stroke (95% vs. 85%; P=0.004), arrhythmia (31% vs. 19%; P=0.016), and the FAST message (78% vs. 26%; P<0.001) than those of the control group 3 month after the stroke lesson. Conclusions: The stroke education program for junior high school students and their parents improved their stroke knowledge, especially of the FAST message.
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