Relationship between education status and cerebrovascular disease awareness in patients with ischemic stroke

Gizem Gürsoy; Havva Tuğba Çelik

doi:10.55697/tnd.2025.431

Gizem Gürsoy¹, Havva Tuğba Çelik²

¹Department of Neurology, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
²Department of Neurology, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye

Keywords: Awareness, cerebrovascular disease, education, ischemic stroke, stroke risk.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to present cross-sectional data on the awareness of stroke and educational status of patients with ischemic stroke from two hospitals.

Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face surveys with 208 patients (124 males, 84 females; mean age: 64.2±14.4 years; range, 28 to 108 years) with ischemic stroke at two centers between January 2024 and July 2024. The survey consisted of 15 questions that assessed demographic information, along with the patients' awareness of their first stroke, family history, known risk factors, and symptoms of stroke, as well as their understanding of whether they were experiencing a stroke and their behaviors during that time.

Results: Of the participants, 44% had primary school education, 83% reported this as their first stroke, and 61% had a family member who had experienced a stroke. Nearly half (49%) of the patients, including one-fourth of those who graduated from a university, were unaware of their stroke, only 42 patients knew that stroke is a preventable disease. One hundred and twenty patients arrived at the hospital on their own, while 20% used an ambulance. While half of university graduates arrived at the hospital by ambulance, this rate dropped to 9% for primary school graduates. The most frequently recognized risk factor for stroke was hypertension, and 86% of patients acknowledged insufficient knowledge about stroke.

Conclusion: Data from patients indicated that even those with higher educational levels lacked sufficient knowledge about stroke, highlighting the need for more patient and family education programs, as well as a greater availability of informational materials to increase awareness of stroke prevention and treatment.

Cite this article as: Gürsoy G, Çelik HT. Relationship between education status and cerebrovascular disease awareness in patients with ischemic stroke. Turk J Neurol 2025;31(4):421-428. doi: 10.55697/tnd.2025.431.