Abstract 62: Stroke Busters High School Stroke Education Initiative

Abstract

Background: It is estimated that 91% of stroke risk can be attributed to modifiable risk factors; however, on a population level, these risk factors are not well controlled. One recent response to reducing the burden of stroke has been to improve childhood knowledge about stroke. The purpose of our initiative was to educate high school students about stroke and careers in neuroscience. Methods: Thirteen students in Yale University Pathways to Science Summer Scholars participated in a 5-day program called Stroke Busters. Summer Scholars is a free summer science day program for rising 10th- 12th grade students. The demographic breakdown is 32% Asian, 30.1% Black, 20.4% Latinx, 15.5% White, and 1.9% Middle Eastern. Stroke Busters is a program within Pathways that includes an interactive stroke lecture, mock stroke code simulation, interactive mechanical thrombectomy demonstration, and a workshop where students created their own stroke learning materials. Students completed an 8 question pre and post-test that assessed stroke knowledge. Results: Between 7/11-7/15/22 thirteen students participated in Stroke Busters . The average test scores increased from 38% to 73%. Prior to the program, eight students (62%) listed that a stroke occurred in the brain and four students (31%) correctly identified the acronym “FAST”; 100% of students got these items correct in the post-test. The score for identifying 4/4 stroke symptoms improved from 56% to 92%. Twelve students provided feedback; the overall satisfaction rating for the program was 4.44/5. Students commented on the stroke simulation as the most enjoyable part of the program. Conclusion: In this high school stroke educational program students improved their knowledge about stroke significantly. This is the first stroke education program to our knowledge that focuses on high school students using a multi-day curriculum led by a diverse group of healthcare professionals.