The International Stroke Survey (ISS): A multi-country perspective of public knowledge of cerebral stroke.

Abstract

Background: As acute stroke remains an important leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, this study sought to survey the general public in four different countries, in four different continents to ascertain the level of knowledge of the public for the risk factors, and the signs and symptoms of stroke. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of the general public that was conducted via a self-administered online survey using the SurveyMonkey® platform in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Questions on identifying the risk factors, as well as the signs and symptoms of stroke were asked. A score was given to all subjects, and they were then asked to identify the life-style changes that they thought would reduce the risk of getting a stroke. Results: A total of 2000 subjects were recruited via the electronic search engine at the SurveyMonkey®, 500 from each country. The data showed that subjects in Western countries agreed on dyslipidemia and lack of exercise being the top two risk factors for stroke. While the Middle Eastern subjects mostly identified smoking and having a previous stroke as the top risk factors. Regarding the signs and symptoms, Western subjects agreed perfectly that the top three were hemiparesis, heavy tongue and facial asymmetry. Conclusion: It was clear from the data collected in this study that the knowledge level of signs and symptoms of stroke in the general public, irrespective of the country was poor.