Hunter College, New York, NY, USA.
J Neurosci Nurs. 2012 Oct;44(5):236-43. doi: 10.1097/JNN.0b013e3182666231.
Stroke remains a major cause of mortality and disability among older adults. Although early treatment after stroke is known to reduce both mortality and disability, the first step in seeking early treatment is dependent on the rapid recognition of the signs of stroke. Recall of the signs of stroke may be dependent on factors that exist before the stroke itself. Although it is known that both working memory and health literacy decline with advancing age, these factors have not been thoroughly examined with respect to recall of the signs of stroke. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate associations between working memory, health literacy, and recall of the signs of stroke among older adults. Community dwelling older adults (≥65 years of age) were recruited from two senior centers. Fifty-six participants meeting inclusion criteria provided demographic and health information and were asked to read a public service brochure listing the five warning signs of stroke. Working memory was then assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 3rd Edition Working Memory Index. Health literacy was assessed by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Participants' recall of the five warning signs of stroke was evaluated. The mean age was 80.4 years. The mean number of the signs of stroke recalled was 2.9 ± 1.33. Working memory and health literacy were positively correlated with recall of the signs of stroke (r = .38, p < 0.01; r = .44, p < 0.01). In a simultaneous regression, only health literacy remained a significant predictor of recall. There was no statistically significant interaction between working memory and health literacy. Findings from this study indicate that working memory and health literacy were associated with successful recall of the warning signs of stroke in older adults. Further studies are needed to determine if programs that include cognitive and literacy assessments could identify older adults who need additional support to learn and recall the signs of stroke.
中风仍然是老年人死亡和残疾的主要原因。虽然已知中风后早期治疗可以降低死亡率和残疾率，但寻求早期治疗的第一步取决于迅速识别中风的迹象。对中风迹象的回忆可能取决于中风本身之前存在的因素。虽然已知工作记忆和健康素养随年龄增长而下降，但这些因素尚未在中风迹象的回忆方面得到彻底研究。因此，目前的研究目的是调查工作记忆、健康素养与老年人中风迹象回忆之间的关联。从两个老年人中心招募了社区居住的老年人（≥65 岁）。符合纳入标准的 56 名参与者提供了人口统计学和健康信息，并被要求阅读一份列出中风五个警告信号的公共服务小册子。然后使用韦氏成人智力量表第三版工作记忆指数评估工作记忆。健康素养通过成人功能性健康素养简短测试进行评估。评估参与者对中风五个警告信号的回忆。平均年龄为 80.4 岁。平均回忆中风的迹象为 2.9 ± 1.33。工作记忆和健康素养与中风迹象的回忆呈正相关（r =.38，p < 0.01；r =.44，p < 0.01）。在同时进行的回归中，只有健康素养仍然是回忆的显著预测因素。工作记忆和健康素养之间没有统计学上显著的相互作用。这项研究的结果表明，工作记忆和健康素养与老年人成功回忆中风警告信号有关。需要进一步研究以确定是否包括认知和读写能力评估的计划是否可以识别需要额外支持来学习和回忆中风迹象的老年人。
