Open AccessKnowledge of Brazilian genral people on risk factors for stroke
Author(s) -
Mário Luciano de Mélo Silva Júnior,
Gabriella Camelo Oliveira,
Lucas Pereira Ferreira,
Roberto Carlos de Sousa Alves,
Yuri de Almeida Oliveira,
Caline de Almeida Barbosa,
Rasec Kayan Oliveira Santos,
Weslley Medeiros Gois,
Rômulo Martins Ferreira Santos,
Giuliana Maria Morais Gonzalez
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.5327/1516-3180.613
Subject(s) - stroke (engine) , medicine , risk factor , population , diabetes mellitus , cross sectional study , gerontology , stroke risk , demography , environmental health , ischemic stroke , mechanical engineering , pathology , sociology , engineering , endocrinology , ischemia
Background: Stroke is one of the main causes of death in the Brazil and worldwide. The level of lay people’s knowledge on risk factors for stroke have yet to be fully described. Objectives: To assess the level of information on risk factors for stroke among lay people Design and setting: Cross-sectional study applying a survey to people in public spaces in cities of Brazil’s Northeast, in 2020. Methods: Individuals who were passing by in such places were invited in a quasi- random strategy, to be interviewed. We exposed the volunteers to a typical case of a stroke presentation and asked what risk factors for it. We did not provide alternatives for the question. Ethical principles were followed. Results: We enrolled 1,477 individuals (52.5% female, 36.2±14.8yo). Stroke was identified for 1,226/1,477 (83.0%) individuals. From these, 423/1,226 (34.5%) did not mention any risk factors for stroke; and 393/1,226 (32.1%) reported two or more factors. The often-indicated risk factors were hypertension (418, 34.1%), stress (201, 16.4%), inappropriate diet (125, 10.2%), diabetes (124, 10.1%) and sedentary lifestyle (109, 8.9%). There was not differences on mention or not risk factors in relation to sex (p=.290) and age (p=.085), but those who known had more years of formal education (p <.001) and more frequently had health insurance (p=.010). Conclusion: The knowledge of general population on risk factors for stroke is poor. It is necessary to provide public campaigns in order to improve knowledge on this theme and to encourage screening in individuals at risk.