Stroke-related knowledge, beliefs, and behaviours of chinese and European canadians: implications for physical therapists

Post-implementation knowledge retention of stroke: the lasting influence of FAST Heroes

Background

FAST Heroes is a kindergarten-based educational program that teaches young children and their extended families (parents, grandparents), the main stroke symptoms (Face, Arm, and Speech), and the timely and appropriate steps in the event of a suspected stroke (Time). However, post-campaign knowledge retention remains a challenge.

Aims

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether and to what extent grandparents' stroke knowledge is maintained 44 months after the initial implementation of the program.

Methods

Forty-five participants engaged in the present study (35 women, 10 men; 72.8§5.3) and completed an adapted version of the FAST Heroes Stroke Preparedness Questionnaire via phone calls.

Results

Compared to immediately post-program implementation, respondents were still able to recall arm weakness (OR = 1.63; p = 0.246) and slurred speech (OR = 2.02; p = 0.075) as main stroke symptoms. A decrease was observed in recalling facial drooping (OR = 0.44; p = 0.042). Reporting of the appropriate course of action, was found to be increased (OR = 4.17; p < 0.001). Respondents remembered the emergency number to call, i.e., 112 (OR = 0.97; p = 0.947).

Conclusion

The results showed that awareness regarding the common signs of a stroke and the importance of promptly contacting emergency services following a stroke, in the population group mostly affected by stroke, is retained. Exploring knowledge preservation in a greater sample size is warranted.

Multidomain interventions for non-pharmacological enhancement (MINE) program in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a multicenter randomized controlled trial protocol

BACKGROUND

Dementia is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and therefore early intervention could have the best chance of preserving brain health. There are significant differences in health awareness, living customs, and daily behaviors among Chinese older adults compared to Europeans and Americans. Because the synergistic benefits of multidomain non-pharmacological interventions are consistent with the multifactorial pathogenicity of MCI, such interventions are more appealing, easier to adhere to, and more relevant to daily life than single-mode interventions. One of the aims of this study is to verify the effect of multidomain intervention strategies for MCI patients based on Chinese population characteristics, and the other is to establish a biobank and image database to investigate the pathogenesis and pathways of cognitive impairment.

METHODS

Our study was designed as a national multicenter, community-based randomized controlled trial (RCT). Twelve medical institutions in ten Chinese cities will participate in our study from 2020 to 2024, and 1080 community residents aged 50 and above will be enrolled as participants. Each sub-center will be responsible for 90 participants (30 people per community) across three communities (non-contact control group, health education group, and multidomain intervention group). The community will be the basic unit of the present study, and all participants in each community will receive the same intervention/control measure. Three working groups are set up in each sub-center to manage the three communities independently to minimize interference at the implementation level between the groups. The multidomain intervention group will receive integrated interventions including exercise, nutrition, sleep, health education and mindfulness meditation. All data generated by the research will be analyzed and processed by statistical software (such as SPSS 21.0, Python 3.0, etc.), and part of the research data will be displayed in the form of graphs and tables.

DISCUSSION

In order to achieve a high-quality community intervention study, it is crucial to have a well-designed experimental protocol that follows rigorous scientific methodology. In addition, effective management of quality control measures and monitoring compliance throughout the study process are essential components. This study provides a detailed discussion of stakeholder compliance, research quality control, potential harm and mitigation, auditing, and future plans in order to better address research issues.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR2000035012 (July 27, 2020).

Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding stroke potential complications among stroke survivors' family members in Shiraz, Iran

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate stroke survivors' family members' knowledge, attitude, and practice about these sequelae.

Patients and methods

In this cross-sectional survey, 105 family members (57 males, 48 females; mean age: 48.3±9.7 years; range 18 to 60 years) of stroke survivors were examined via a self-structured questionnaire between September 2019 and January 2020. Patients' medical characteristics, as well as participants' sociodemographic and opinions regarding studying variables, were surveyed.

Results

The participants were mostly married and had relatively high scores in knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaires. We found a significant correlation between participants' knowledge and practice. Moreover, data analysis revealed significantly higher knowledge scores in the employed participants and higher practice scores in the urban population. Furthermore, the relationship of patients with their family members can affect their attitude toward stroke complications.

Conclusion

This study has revealed that caregivers in rural areas with lower education levels are less knowledgeable about potential stroke complications, and subsequently, the patients are more vulnerable to those sequelae. Stakeholders should consider these groups their priorities in education and empowerment processes for stroke survivors' caregivers.

Gender Difference in the Association Between Stroke Knowledge and Health Behavior Before the Onset of Stroke Among Chinese Hypertensive Patients

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that men and women have different levels of stroke knowledge and differing health behaviors, which are important factors affecting blood pressure, as hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke occurrence. There has been little research on the effects of sex on the association between these 2 variables before the onset of stroke among Chinese hypertensive patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study and a convenience sampling method were used. 272 male and 118 female hypertensive stroke patients were recruited. Each patient completed the Stroke Knowledge Questionnaire and the Health Behavior Scale for stroke patients. RESULTS: Compared with female patients, male patients had greater stroke knowledge and worse prestroke health behavior. The Pearson correlation coefficient between stroke knowledge and prestroke health behavior was 0.149 and 0.223 in male and female participants, respectively, P < .05. The results of a multiple regression analysis showed that Chinese hypertensive stroke patients' prestroke health behavior was significantly influenced by sex and stroke knowledge. CONCLUSION: Chinese male and female hypertensive stroke patients had disparities in stroke knowledge and prestroke health behavior; moreover, the correlation between these 2 variables before experiencing a hypertensive stroke was different between men and women. Men with hypertension should be considered at a higher risk for an initial or recurrent stroke. Developing sex-specific intervention for primary or secondary stroke prevention in China is essential.

Discordance between lifestyle-related health behaviors and beliefs of urban mainland Chinese: A questionnaire study with implications for targeting health education

Background

Morbidity and mortality in China are increasingly associated with lifestyle behaviors, e.g., smoking, poor nutritional choices, and physical inactivity. Lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (e.g., hypertension, stroke, heart disease, lung disease) are at critical levels globally, in turn their socioeconomic burdens. Knowledge of lifestyle-related health behaviors and beliefs of mainland Chinese would help inform the design and targeting of cost-effective health education for individuals and campaigns in the interests of promoting and protecting health, and preventing disease. This study's objective was to describe the lifestyle behaviors and beliefs of a sample of urban mainland Chinese, and their congruence with evidence-based guidelines for maximal health.

Methods

A cross-sectional interview questionnaire study was conducted in which 835 mainland Chinese (55% men, 45% women) from four urban areas participated.

Results

About half (52%) reported smoking to some degree with 21% being habitual smokers; 33% being above average weight; 62.1% met physical activity guidelines for health benefits; 92% being sedentary for 5.8 ± 3.40 h/d; 66% experiencing moderate/high stress; and sleeping 7.1 ± 1.31 h nightly with 35% reporting sleeping poorly. When standard serving sizes were considered, daily consumption of grains, fruits, and vegetables was reported to be consistent with dietary recommendations for good health, however, added salt (3.7 ± 7.42 tsp) and sugar (3.9 ± 12.99 tsp) exceeded recommendations. Life stress was rated moderate by 59.6% of respondents, with personal and family health stresses ranking highest (43% and 55%, respectively). Regarding beliefs about importance of lifestyle behaviors to health, respondents' understanding was not consistent with evidence-based recommendations. Only 64% of participants believed smoking abstinence is highly important to health; 56% regular exercise; and 37% consumption of whole grains, 62% fruit and vegetables; and 54% maintaining a healthy body weight.

Conclusion

To be congruent with established guidelines for healthy living, health promotion and disease prevention education for individuals and public campaigns warrants targeting health knowledge and beliefs of urban Chinese as well as lifestyle-related health behaviors. The roles of gender, education and living rurally, on lifestyle behaviors and beliefs of the Chinese, warrant elucidation.

Self-Report Dietary Assessment Tools Used in Canadian Research: A Scoping Review

Choosing the most appropriate dietary assessment tool for a study can be a challenge. Through a scoping review, we characterized self-report tools used to assess diet in Canada to identify patterns in tool use and to inform strategies to strengthen nutrition research. The research databases Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were used to identify Canadian studies published from 2009 to 2014 that included a self-report assessment of dietary intake. The search elicited 2358 records that were screened to identify those that reported on self-report dietary intake among nonclinical, non-Aboriginal adult populations. A pool of 189 articles (reflecting 92 studies) was examined in-depth to assess the dietary assessment tools used. Food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and screeners were used in 64% of studies, whereas food records and 24-h recalls were used in 18% and 14% of studies, respectively. Three studies (3%) used a single question to assess diet, and for 3 studies the tool used was not clear. A variety of distinct FFQs and screeners, including those developed and/or adapted for use in Canada and those developed elsewhere, were used. Some tools were reported to have been evaluated previously in terms of validity or reliability, but details of psychometric testing were often lacking. Energy and fat were the most commonly studied, reported by 42% and 39% of studies, respectively. For ∼20% of studies, dietary data were used to assess dietary quality or patterns, whereas close to half assessed ≤5 dietary components. A variety of dietary assessment tools are used in Canadian research. Strategies to improve the application of current evidence on best practices in dietary assessment have the potential to support a stronger and more cohesive literature on diet and health. Such strategies could benefit from national and global collaboration.

Factors Influencing Health Knowledge and Behaviors among the Elderly in Rural China

Objectives: Health knowledge and behaviors are the key elements that ensure high quality of health for the elderly. This study explored and determined the conditions and factors of health knowledge and behaviors that affect the elderly in rural China. Methods: A cross-sectional research approach and random stratified sampling method were used in 12 towns and 48 villages in the Chongqing Municipality, Henan, and Zhejiang Provinces in China from June to September 2013. The collected data included: (1) socio-demographic characteristics of 1593 elderly people; (2) accuracy rate on health knowledge of the elderly, which was analyzed and compared among the three sample areas by using Chi-square test; and (3) mean scores on the health behaviors of the elderly, which were analyzed and compared by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The multiple-linear regression method was used to analyze the factors affecting the health knowledge and behaviors of the elderly. Results: Significant differences were observed among the nine items in the health knowledge questionnaire (p = 0.000 < 0.001). The average accuracy rate of the nine items was 57.43%. Significant differences were observed among the eleven items on the health behaviors of the elderly in the sample rural areas (p = 0.000 < 0.001). Age, economic level, degree of education, distance from home to medical institutions and disposable personal income (DPI) can affect the scores of the health knowledge and behaviors of the elderly (p = 0.000 < 0.001). Conclusions: Lack of health knowledge and poor health behaviors are common among the elderly in the sample areas of rural China. This deficiency poses a serious threat on the promotion of health conditions and the improvement of the level of health quality among the elderly. Different types of access to sources of health knowledge should be used to increase health knowledge scores of the elderly. Various potential intervening measures should also be adopted to improve their health behaviors of elderly people.

Stroke awareness in luxemburg: deficit concerning symptoms and risk factors

BACKGROUND

Awareness of stroke risk factors is important for stroke prevention. Knowledge of stroke symptoms and awareness regarding the necessity of seeking urgent stroke treatment are vital to provide rapid admission to a stroke unit. Data on this specific knowledge in Luxemburg are lacking.

METHODS

We investigated 420 patients from the Department of Neurology and their relatives using a questionnaire. There were 44% men and 56% women; 25% were immigrants and 75% Luxemburgish nationals; 13% already had had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA); and the mean age was 55 years ranging from 18 to 87 years.

RESULTS

A total of 88% of participants knew that a stroke occurs in the head/brain. In all, 10% of participants did not know any symptom of a stroke. The most frequently quoted symptoms (>15%) were paralysis/weakness (36%), speech disorders (32%), cranial nerve deficit (16%), vertigo (15%), and visual disorders (15%). Sensory deficits were mentioned by only 4% of patients. Known risk factors (>15%) were smoking (40%), hypertension (32%), alcohol (32%), poor nutrition (28%), high cholesterol (26%), stress (23%), and lack of exercise (19%). Age (4%), diabetes (6%), carotid stenosis (2%), and heart disease (1%) were less frequently known. In all, 11% of participants did not know any risk factor of a stroke. A total of 89% of participants would correctly call the 112 (emergency phone number). The following groups were better informed: Luxemburgish nationals, younger people, and participants with higher education level. Stroke/TIA patients were better informed concerning stroke symptoms, but unfortunately not concerning how to react in the case of a stroke. There was no relevant gender difference.

DISCUSSION

Although most of the participants knew what to do in the case of a stroke, they did not know the relevant stroke symptoms and risk factors. Future campaigns should therefore focus on risk factors and symptoms, and should address immigrants, elderly persons, less-educated persons, and patients who had already suffered a stroke/TIA.