Abstract 2476: Hip Hop Stroke: Long-Term Retention of Stroke Knowledge Among Sixth Graders Living in a Low-Income Neighborhood.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect Hip Hop Stroke TM, a novel multi-media and musical school-based stroke literacy (knowledge of stroke symptoms, appropriate action, and prevention measures) intervention targeting children aged 8-12, on long-term retention of stroke knowledge. Methods: We enrolled 107 sixth grade children from one school in Harlem into a single dose of our Hip Hop Stroke intervention - three, one-hour classroom sessions, delivered over three consecutive days. Stroke knowledge surveys to evaluate stroke symptoms, appropriate response when presented with hypothetical stroke scenarios (calling ‘911’) and stroke localization (where a stroke occurs in the body) were conducted at baseline, immediately following the intervention, and 15-months following the intervention. A composite score was created from five stroke symptoms, which included blurry vision/loss of vision, sudden headache, facial weakness, clumsiness/incoordination, slurred/confused speech, and a distracter (chest pain). Data was analyzed using SAS 9.2. Results: A total of 105 students complete both pretests (PT) and immediate post tests (IP), and 85 students completed all three tests, which included a 15-month delayed post test (DP) [79.4% retention rate]. At PT, 36.2% correctly identified stroke localization, and 55.2% appropriately identified calling 911. The stroke knowledge composite score at baseline was 3.21. At IP, stroke knowledge increased significantly across all items: stroke localization (90.5%, p<.05), calling 911 (84.8%, p<.05), and composite score (5.25, p<.05). At 15 months, all items except headache were significantly retained by children, with a composite score of 4.73 (p<.05, PT vs. DP). Knowledge of stroke localization (80%, p<.05, PT vs. DP) and calling 911 (72.8%, p<.05, PT vs. DP) were also retained significantly. Conclusion: Three one-hour Hip Hop Stroke sessions significantly improved knowledge of stroke symptoms and response of sixth grade children, living in a high stroke risk neighborhood. This knowledge was significantly retained up to 15 months post-intervention.