TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge and Awareness of Stroke among the Elderly Population
T2 - Analysis of Data from a Sample of Older Adults in a Developing Country
AU - Sakr, Fouad
AU - Safwan, Jihan
AU - Cherfane, Michelle
AU - Salameh, Pascale
AU - Sacre, Hala
AU - Haddad, Chadia
AU - El Khatib, Sarah
AU - Rahal, Mohamad
AU - Dia, Mohammad
AU - Harb, Ahmad
AU - Hosseini, Hassan
AU - Iskandar, Katia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Background and Objectives: Stroke prevention has traditionally concentrated on research to improve knowledge and awareness of the disease in the general population. Since stroke incidents increase with age, there is a need to focus on the elderly, a high-risk group for developing the disease. This study aimed to examine the level of stroke awareness and knowledge, their predictors, and their source of information. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study targeted Lebanese senior citizens aged 65 years and above. A total of 513 participants enrolled in the study through a self-administered survey distributed using a snowball sampling technique. Results: Most participants had appropriate baseline knowledge (more than 75% correct answers) of stroke, including risk factors, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Better knowledge of disease risks was significantly associated with having a university degree (ORa = 1.609; p = 0.029). Participants who had previous ischemic attacks showed significantly lower knowledge of the alarming signs (ORa = 0.467; p = 0.036) and prevention measures (ORa = 0.427; p = 0.029). Those suffering from depression had better knowledge of stroke alarming signs (ORa = 2.060.; p = 0.050). Seeking information from pharmacists, physicians, or the internet was not significantly associated with better knowledge of stroke risks, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Conclusions: The present study showed that seniors had fair knowledge of stroke, despite gaps in stroke prevention measures. Healthcare providers could play a leading role in improving public health by educating seniors to enhance awareness about prevention measures, detecting alarming signs, and acting fast to save a life.
AB - Background and Objectives: Stroke prevention has traditionally concentrated on research to improve knowledge and awareness of the disease in the general population. Since stroke incidents increase with age, there is a need to focus on the elderly, a high-risk group for developing the disease. This study aimed to examine the level of stroke awareness and knowledge, their predictors, and their source of information. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study targeted Lebanese senior citizens aged 65 years and above. A total of 513 participants enrolled in the study through a self-administered survey distributed using a snowball sampling technique. Results: Most participants had appropriate baseline knowledge (more than 75% correct answers) of stroke, including risk factors, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Better knowledge of disease risks was significantly associated with having a university degree (ORa = 1.609; p = 0.029). Participants who had previous ischemic attacks showed significantly lower knowledge of the alarming signs (ORa = 0.467; p = 0.036) and prevention measures (ORa = 0.427; p = 0.029). Those suffering from depression had better knowledge of stroke alarming signs (ORa = 2.060.; p = 0.050). Seeking information from pharmacists, physicians, or the internet was not significantly associated with better knowledge of stroke risks, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Conclusions: The present study showed that seniors had fair knowledge of stroke, despite gaps in stroke prevention measures. Healthcare providers could play a leading role in improving public health by educating seniors to enhance awareness about prevention measures, detecting alarming signs, and acting fast to save a life.
KW - awareness
KW - elderly
KW - knowledge
KW - Lebanon
KW - senior citizens
KW - stroke
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180648923&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/medicina59122172
DO - 10.3390/medicina59122172
M3 - Article
C2 - 38138275
AN - SCOPUS:85180648923
SN - 1010-660X
VL - 59
JO - Medicina (Lithuania)
JF - Medicina (Lithuania)
IS - 12
M1 - 2172
ER -