Stroke awareness among Georgia adults: Epidemiology and considerations regarding measurement

Background. To design and evaluate interventions for reducing the impact of stroke ill Georgia, we assessed knowledge of signs, risk factors, and burden of stroke. Methods. Adults in Georgia were studied with a random digit dial telephone survey. Results. Answering an unaided question, 39% of 602 respondents named greater than or equal to1 stroke warning sign. Awareness was considerably greater when assessed with prompted questions. Most respondents (70%) said they would call 911 if someone had a stroke: almost all (95%) considered stroke all emergency. Risk factor awareness ranged from 97% (previous stroke) to 69% (diabetes). Altogether, 6% reported having had a stroke; 48% reported a stroke in their family. Conclusions. Georgia adults have low awareness of stroke warning signs. Our findings underscore the importance of conducting an effective educational campaign. Furthermore, a need exists for questions on stroke awareness that approximate more closely the situation in which a person must identify a potential stroke.