AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
F1000Res. 2023 Oct 13;12:322. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.129873.2. eCollection 2023.
: Despite significant advancements in healthcare, the burden of stroke continues to rise in the developed world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Association between COVID-19 infection and stroke is well established. Factors identified for the delay in presentation and management include a lack of awareness regarding stroke. We aimed to assess the general public knowledge and attitudes on stroke and stroke risk factors in the United Arab Emirates during the COVID-19 pandemic. : A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022 among adults≥ 18 years old. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and stroke knowledge and attitudes. Knowledge and attitude scores were calculated based on the number of correct responses. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the factors related to knowledge and attitude towards stroke. : Of the 500 respondents, 69.4% were females, 53.4% were aged between 18 and 25, and nearly half were students (48.4%). The mean knowledge score was 13.66 (range 2-24). Hypertension (69%), smoking (63.2%), stress (56.4%) obesity/overweight (54.4%), and heart disease (53.6%) were identified as risk factors. Overall, the knowledge of signs/symptoms was suboptimal. The mean attitude score was 4.41 (range, 1-6); 70.2% would call an ambulance if someone were having a stroke. A monthly income of 11,000-50,000 AED and being a student were associated with positive knowledge. Being a non-health worker and lacking access to electronic media sources were associated with worse attitudes. : Overall, we identified poor knowledge and suboptimal attitudes toward stroke. These findings reflect the need for effective public health approaches to improve stroke awareness, knowledge, and attitudes for effective prevention in the community. Presently, this is of utmost necessity, given the increased occurrence of stroke and its severity among COVID-19 patients.
尽管在医疗保健方面取得了重大进展，但在发达国家，中风的负担仍在上升，尤其是在 COVID-19 大流行期间。COVID-19 感染与中风之间存在关联。导致表现和管理延迟的因素包括缺乏对中风的认识。我们旨在评估阿拉伯联合酋长国在 COVID-19 大流行期间公众对中风和中风危险因素的知识和态度。
一项横断面研究于 2021 年 9 月至 2022 年 1 月期间在≥18 岁的成年人中进行。参与者完成了一份关于社会人口统计学特征以及中风知识和态度的自我管理问卷。根据正确回答的数量计算知识和态度得分。进行线性回归分析以确定与中风知识和态度相关的因素。
在 500 名受访者中，69.4%为女性，53.4%年龄在 18 至 25 岁之间，近一半为学生（48.4%）。平均知识得分为 13.66（范围 2-24）。高血压（69%）、吸烟（63.2%）、压力（56.4%）、肥胖/超重（54.4%）和心脏病（53.6%）被确定为危险因素。总体而言，对体征/症状的认识不足。平均态度得分为 4.41（范围 1-6）；如果有人中风，70.2%的人会叫救护车。月收入为 11,000-50,000 阿联酋迪拉姆和学生身份与积极的知识相关。非卫生工作者和缺乏电子媒体来源与较差的态度相关。
总体而言，我们发现对中风的知识不足，态度不佳。这些发现反映了需要采取有效的公共卫生措施来提高社区对中风的认识、知识和态度，以实现有效预防。目前，鉴于 COVID-19 患者中风的发生率及其严重程度增加，这是非常必要的。
