Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the extent stroke survivors who attended an herbal center knew of stroke risk factors and whether significant sex differences existed. Study Design. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from January to June 2018 at Bebe Herbal Center, and it involved two well-trained assistants who interviewed 149 first-time stroke survivors after consent and ethical approval were obtained. The survivors self-reported their knowledge, attitude, and beliefs on risk factors before and after stroke. Statistical Analyses. Means of continuous variables were compared using Student's unpaired t-test, while categorical variables between males and the females were analyzed using Pearson's chi-square test. P < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results Mean age of men (64.81 ± 1.24 yrs) was significantly higher than that of women (61.39 ± 1.42 yrs) (F = 0.096, t = 1.79, df = 147; P < 0.05). More men than women were 60 years and above while more women than men were below 60 years. Pearson's chi-square test showed significant association of sex with education (χ2 = 12.31; df = 3, P < 0.006), occupation (χ2 = 23.65; df = 4, P < 0.001), alcohol intake (χ2 = 24.23; df = 1; P < 0.001), and smoking (χ2 = 9.823; df = 1; P < 0.001). The commonest risk factor suffered was hypertension (73.1%), followed by alcohol intake (59.1%), smoking (31.5%), and diabetes mellitus (26.7%); these affected men more than women. Male survivors unaware of their hypertensive status were more likely to have stroke than females, and age had a significant effect on the likelihood of developing a stroke; the same was occupation. Conclusions These survivors suffered mainly from hypertension, triggered by psychosocial problems and diabetes mellitus; their stroke seemed fueled by unrecognized hypertension, unrecognized diabetes mellitus, ignorance of hyperlipidemia, and wide-scale belief in witchcraft as risk factor. Awareness programs in the third world should take these observations into consideration.
Highlights
Stroke is a noncommunicable disease that is fast devastating the human population
This study was conducted at Bebe Herbal Center located in Umunomo Ihitteafoukwu, a rural community in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria, from January to June 2018
The findings have shown that most survivors who attended Bebe Herbal Center had little or no knowledge of stroke risk factors and were not bothered
Summary
Stroke is a noncommunicable disease that is fast devastating the human population It is regarded as the leading cause of death and disability in the world [1] and the second leading cause of death in developed countries, after ischemic heart disease [2]. The burden of stroke has shifted from the developed to developing countries [3] and has become the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America [4,5,6]. It accounts for 7%-9% of all deaths in Africa [7]. Awareness programs come in handy for the high-risk group, especially those who have suffered a first stroke, because a second stroke which they are prone to could be more devastating [11, 12]
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