Department of Neurology, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
Cerebrovasc Dis. 2011;32(4):342-8. doi: 10.1159/000330339. Epub 2011 Sep 15.
Public awareness campaigns are conducted to increase stroke awareness, yet evidence of their long-term effectiveness is limited. Since 2006, the Czech Stroke Society has conducted an educational campaign throughout the Czech Republic (CR) to increase awareness about stroke. This report evaluates the effectiveness of this campaign by comparing the results of a nationwide survey on stroke awareness in 2009 with the results from 2005.
In 2009, a nationwide survey was conducted throughout the CR using the same methodology as in 2005 and employing a 3-stage random sampling method (area, household, and household member sampling). Participants >40 years of age were personally interviewed via a structured questionnaire concerning their knowledge and ability to correctly respond to stroke as assessed by the validated Stroke Action Test (STAT). The primary outcome measure was the difference in a STAT score >50% (i.e. respondents chose to call 911 for >50% of stroke symptoms) between 2005 and 2009. Campaign intensity was characterized by a systematic search for media messages about stroke in the CR.
A total of 601 interviews were obtained (90% response rate) in 2009 (592 people were interviewed in 2005). A STAT score >50% was achieved by 18% of the respondents both in 2005 and 2009 (p = 0.89). There was no increase in the knowledge of risk factors or warning signs between 2005 and 2009. Respondents who noticed the campaign (19%) had better STAT scores than respondents who did not (25 vs. 17%; p = 0.038). A systematic search revealed that the campaign had reasonable intensity because there were 978 media reports about stroke between 2006 and 2008.
A medium-intensity educational campaign, based on donated advertising media, failed to increase stroke awareness. However, if the campaign had reached more people, it might have been effective. Therefore, in the future, paid advertising media should accompany free media, although such approach would require a substantially larger budget. Awareness campaigns should be constantly evaluated for their effectiveness to develop more successful strategies.
为了提高公众对中风的认识，开展了宣传活动，但长期有效性的证据有限。自 2006 年以来，捷克中风学会在捷克共和国（CR）开展了一项教育活动，以提高对中风的认识。本报告通过比较 2009 年全国中风意识调查结果与 2005 年的结果，评估了该活动的有效性。
2009 年，在 CR 范围内采用与 2005 年相同的方法进行了全国性调查，并采用 3 阶段随机抽样方法（地区、家庭和家庭成员抽样）。对年龄>40 岁的参与者进行了个人访谈，通过经过验证的中风行动测试（STAT）评估他们的知识和正确回应中风的能力，使用结构化问卷。主要观察指标为 2005 年至 2009 年之间 STAT 评分>50%（即，选择拨打 911 的受访者对>50%的中风症状）的差异。活动强度的特点是系统地在 CR 中搜索有关中风的媒体信息。
2009 年共获得 601 次访谈（90%的回复率）（2005 年有 592 人接受了访谈）。2005 年和 2009 年，分别有 18%的受访者 STAT 评分>50%（p=0.89）。2005 年至 2009 年之间，风险因素或预警信号的知识没有增加。注意到该活动的受访者（19%）的 STAT 评分高于未注意到该活动的受访者（25 对 17%；p=0.038）。系统搜索显示，该活动的强度合理，因为在 2006 年至 2008 年期间有 978 条有关中风的媒体报道。
基于捐赠广告媒体的中等强度教育活动未能提高中风意识。但是，如果该活动能覆盖更多的人，可能会更有效。因此，在未来，付费广告媒体应与免费媒体一起使用，尽管这种方法需要更大的预算。应不断评估宣传活动的效果，以制定更成功的策略。
