UK university students’ awareness of stroke early warning signs and the FAST campaign

Abstract

Background: The UK FAST (face, arm, speech, time) campaign aimed to increase awareness of stroke early warning signs (EWS) and the need to call 999. Research is needed to investigate the impact of this campaign among UK allied health professional (AHP) students and university students in general. Methods: Ethical approval was obtained from the university. A sample of 291 university students completed an online pilot questionnaire. Data regarding awareness of EWS, thrombolysis, the FAST campaign and the need to call 999 were collected, coded and analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t tests, a Mann-Whitney U test and multiple regression analyses. Results: Two thirds of students were aware of the FAST campaign, and the majority could name all four letters (48%). Overall, 62% could name 3 EWS and 94% knew to call 999. Awareness of the FAST campaign, being aged over 20 years and awareness of thrombolysis were significant predictors of greater EWS knowledge (P<0.001); however, firstaid training and personal experience of stroke were not. AHP students had significantly greater stroke awareness compared to non-AHP students. Conclusions: This study reports fairly good knowledge of stroke, suggesting the FAST campaign appears to have been somewhat successful in raising awareness within this sample. Opportunities exist for further development of knowledge, particularly the breadth of EWS known by AHP students. Implications: Stroke education in this population needs to be developed further to ensure sufficient knowledge as future potential bystanders and for AHP students as future healthcare professionals. Further research is warranted.