Stroke Awareness in the General Population: A Study from Jordan

Purpose: To assess the awareness level of the Jordanian general population regarding the definition, risk factors, signs and symptoms, and consequences of stroke.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was handed to participants by trained students, the participants were chosen randomly from public places, and the questionnaire used is subdivided into demographic data, questions of multiple choices to identify symptoms and signs, the definition of stroke, and risk factors of stroke. The data were entered and analysed by SPSS software version 16.using frequencies, Chi square and logistic regression. A level of significance of 0.05 was applied.
Results: At least 1993 questionnaires were returned. Out which 40 were excluded for poor quality and 99 were excluded due to missing data. From the 1854 questionnaire used, 82% were residents of Amman, and only 17% were older than 47 years of age. Females were almost equally represented as males,who accounted for 57% of the total. More than 70% had an educational level higher than secondary school.. Only 1.5% experienced a previous stroke, and a relatively high proportion (63.8%) knew someone who suffered from stroke. The most recognized symptom was speech loss (54.7%). All other symptoms were recognized by < 50% of the population. Seventy five percent knew that the brain is the organ involved in stroke while 85% would contact the ambulance on noticing stroke signs, even if symptoms subsequently improved. In a bivariate logistic regression, no independent variables had true effect on knowledge.
Conclusion: We concluded from the study that there are serious gaps in knowledge regarding stroke; an educational program on stroke may help reduce the stroke burden in Jordan.