Abstract
BackgroundAn immediate ambulance call offers the greatest opportunity for acute stroke therapy. Effectively using ambulance services requires strengthening the association between knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance at stroke onset, and encouraging the public to use ambulance services.MethodsThe present study utilized data from the Acquisition of Stroke Knowledge (ASK) study, which administered multiple-choice, mail-in surveys regarding awareness of early stroke symptoms and response to a stroke attack before and after a 2-year stroke education campaign in two areas subject to intensive and moderate intervention, as well as in a control area, in Japan. In these three areas, 3833 individuals (1680, 1088 and 1065 participants in intensive intervention, moderate intervention, and control areas, respectively), aged 40 to 74 years, who responded appropriately to each survey were included in the present study.ResultsAfter the intervention, the number of correctly identified symptoms significantly associated with intention to call an ambulance (P < 0.05) increased (eg, from 4 to 5 correctly identified symptoms), without increasing choice of decoy symptoms in the intensive intervention area. Meanwhile, in other areas, rate of identification of not only correct symptoms but also decoy symptoms associated with intention to call an ambulance increased. Furthermore, the association between improvement in the knowledge of stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance was observed only in the intensive intervention area (P = 0.009).ConclusionsOur results indicate that intensive interventions are useful for strengthening the association between correct knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance, without strengthening the association between incorrect knowledge and intention to call an ambulance.
Highlights
The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of a 2-year educational campaign to improve the knowledge of early stroke symptoms among community residents in the Acquisition of Stroke Knowledge (ASK) study on the association between correct or incorrect knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance.[18]
ASK study The ASK study was a nonrandomized, community intervention trial that aimed to evaluate the effects of public education about early stroke symptoms and the appropriate response to stroke onset in three Japanese cities: Akita, Shizuoka, and Kure.[18,19]
Akita City was selected as an intensive intervention area, Kure City was selected as a moderate intervention area, and Shizuoka City was selected as the control area
Summary
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.[1,2,3] Decreasing the time from stroke onset to hospital arrival offers the greatest opportunity for effective acute stroke therapy[4,5,6,7,8]; delay in hospital presentation of patients with acute stroke still remains substantial.[9,10,11,12]One of the most influential factors for early hospital presentation after recognition of early stroke symptoms is an Effect of Public Education on Calling an Ambulance immediate ambulance call. Methods: The present study utilized data from the Acquisition of Stroke Knowledge (ASK) study, which administered multiple-choice, mail-in surveys regarding awareness of early stroke symptoms and response to a stroke attack before and after a 2-year stroke education campaign in two areas subject to intensive and moderate intervention, as well as in a control area, in Japan. In these three areas, 3833 individuals (1680, 1088 and 1065 participants in intensive intervention, moderate intervention, and control areas, respectively), aged 40 to 74 years, who responded appropriately to each survey were included in the present study. Conclusions: Our results indicate that intensive interventions are useful for strengthening the association between correct knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance, without strengthening the association between incorrect knowledge and intention to call an ambulance
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