Abstract TP227: Stroke Education in School Age Children

Abstract

Introduction: A partnership was formed with the local school district. Stroke education was presented to high school students in the Health Science Academy, who then disseminated stroke education to other students in the district. Objective: To determine the effect of formal stroke education among elementary, middle, and high school students in the region. Methods: Surveys differentiated for each school level were administered to students prior to and a month after stroke education to assess knowledge of stroke signs and symptoms, risk factors, and behavioral action. Results: A total of 3,145 students in elementary, middle, and high school received stroke education. At the elementary level, knowledge of where a stroke occurs significantly increased post education (18.5% vs 37.3%, p<0.0001). There was also an increase in the identification of corrective action to be taken if someone they knew was having a stroke (79.7% vs 85.4%, p=0.0006). The knowledge of signs and symptoms increased significantly in middle (p<0.0001) and high school (p=0.015) students. A small percentage of middle (5% vs 4.3%, p=0.62) and high school students (8.3 % vs 6.4%, p=0.13) were able to recognize all risk factors of a stroke with no significant change in knowledge after stroke education. Conclusions: In conclusion, stroke education in school age children can improve awareness of what organ is affected in stroke, signs and symptoms, and the correct actions that should be taken when suspecting stroke symptoms. However, retention of the presented information after one month was suboptimal. Further steps are needed to refine and sustain stroke education within the local school district. Stroke education need to be included in the school curriculum and should probably be provided on yearly basis.