Knowledge and attitudes towards stroke in semi-urban communities in North Central Nigeria

Stroke and its associated disabilities are a growing public health challenge in many developing countries where a combination of poor awareness and poor medical care is driving up mortality rates. The rising cases are attributed to the rising prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension, obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, and diabetes mellitus within the population. The prevention of stroke through awareness, knowledge, and lifestyle modification is a common approach used in public health intervention programs. Awareness and knowledge of stroke vary widely between communities partly because of access to relevant health information. This study assessed awareness, knowledge of stroke risk factors, and attitude toward stroke prevention. This study was a community-based survey among adults ≥40 years old in semi-urban communities of two local government area councils of Benue State, North Central Nigeria. The sixteen-item questionnaire used in this study is subdivided into socio-demographic information, knowledge of risk factors, symptoms of stroke, current morbidity, and attitude toward stroke prevention. The survey was done using two adults per household selected using simple random method and completed questionnaires were retrieved for analysis. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between demographic variables and knowledge of stroke. The result showed poor levels of stroke awareness (47.3%), knowledge (44.6%), symptoms (44.6%), risk factors (20.6%), and symptoms (44.6%). Awareness of stroke and its risk factors is significantly association with age, gender, marital status, educational status, occupation, and income. Many respondents had poor knowledge of stroke and its risk factors. There is a need for improvement in stroke awareness in underserved communities, particularly those with limited access to mass media.