Stroke awareness among low literacy Latinos living in the South Carolina low country.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about stroke awareness in Latinos with low literacy and living in regions with high stroke rates.

METHODS

We surveyed a convenience sample of 60 adult Latinos living in Charleston South Carolina to examine recognition of 4 common warning signs of stroke and appropriate first action to call 9-1-1.

RESULTS

Forty-six percent of the participants recognized sudden facial, arm, or leg weakness; 39% recognized sudden vision loss; 43% recognized sudden trouble walking; 45% recognized sudden headache; 17% recognized all four warning signs. Twenty-seven percent of the participants incorrectly identified chest pain as a warning sign of stroke. Participants at the lowest literacy levels recognized three of the four warning signs more frequently than the participants at higher literacy levels.

DISCUSSION

Overall, awareness of stroke warning signs was considerably low in this high-risk population. The relationship between low-literacy and stroke awareness was unclear in this sample.