The Effectiveness of Stroke Riskometer™ in Improving Stroke Risk Awareness in Malaysia: A Study Protocol of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Knowledge and awareness of stroke in rural and urban communities

INTRODUCTION

The average stroke morbidity rate, especially in rural communities, is higher when compared to the national average.

OBJECTIVE

Identify the profile of knowledge and awareness of stroke in rural and urban communities and analyze the differences between the two.

METHOD

Respondents who met the requirements answered a questionnaire containing a total of 41 items regarding knowledge and awareness of stroke. Characteristic data obtained includes age, gender, education, occupation, and ethnicity. Differences in characteristics were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, and the profiles of knowledge and awareness of stroke in rural and urban groups were analyzed using independent t tests to see differences between the two.

RESULT

Differences in the characteristics of rural and urban groups were only in education (p = 0.036) and occupation (p = 0.021). The mean score of the knowledge domain for the rural group was 72.53 (SD = 11.04), for the urban group it was 81.06 (SD = 11.12). The mean score awareness of stroke domain in the rural group was 72.18 (SD = 11.01), the urban group was 85.51 (SD = 11.67). The profile of knowledge and awareness of stroke in rural communities was significantly lower than in urban communities. The significance value was (p = 0.004) for knowledge and (p = 0.002) for awareness of stroke.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings, it is reasonable to suspect that educational and occupational factors contribute to differences in the profile of knowledge and awareness of stroke in the two groups. Therefore, the stroke awareness campaign strategy for rural communities needs to be specifically designed by emphasizing/considering educational and occupational factors.

Digital Health in Primordial and Primary Stroke Prevention: A Systematic Review

The stroke burden continues to grow across the globe, disproportionally affecting developing countries. This burden cannot be effectively halted and reversed without effective and widely implemented primordial and primary stroke prevention measures, including those on the individual level. The unprecedented growth of smartphone and other digital technologies with digital solutions are now being used in almost every area of health, offering a unique opportunity to improve primordial and primary stroke prevention on the individual level. However, there are several issues that need to be considered to advance development and use this important digital strategy for primordial and primary stroke prevention. Using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines we provide a systematic review of the current knowledge, challenges, and opportunities of digital health in primordial and primary stroke prevention.