Educational campaign on stroke in an urban population in Northern Germany: influence on public stroke awareness and knowledge

BackgroundPublic stroke awareness and knowledge may be supportive for stroke prevention and emergency care-seeking behavior after the acute event, which is highly important for early treatment onset.AimsIn an urban population in Northern Germany (Hannover), a six-month stroke educational campaign was conducted. We expected an increase in stroke knowledge and awareness thereafter.MethodsComputer-assisted telephone interviews were randomly conducted among 1004 representative participants before and 1010 immediately after the educational multimedia campaign. The computer-assisted telephone interviews focused on questions about stroke knowledge and interventions remembered.ResultsKnowledge of stroke risk factors increased during the campaign for overweight, physical inactivity, old age, and stroke in family (P < 0·05). The knowledge of stroke warning signs was low, although it significantly increased during the campaign (P < 0·001) as paresis/weakness (46%) and speech problems (31%) were most frequently named...