title: National women's knowledge of stroke warning signs, overall and by race/ethnic group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recognition of stroke warning signs may reduce treatment delays. The purpose of this study was to evaluate contemporary knowledge of stroke warning signs and knowledge to call 9-1-1, among a nationally representative sample of women, overall and by race/ethnic group.
  
  
  METHODS
  A study of cardiovascular disease awareness was conducted by the American Heart Association in 2012 among English-speaking US women ≥25 years identified through random-digit dialing (n=1205; 54% white, 17% black, 17% Hispanic, and 12% other). Knowledge of stroke warning signs, and what to do first if experiencing stroke warning signs, was assessed by standardized open-ended questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Half of women surveyed (51%) identified sudden weakness/numbness of face/limb on one side as a stroke warning sign; this did not vary by race/ethnic group. Loss of/trouble talking/understanding speech was identified by 44% of women, more frequently among white versus Hispanic women (48% versus 36%; P<0.05). Fewer than 1 in 4 women identified sudden severe headache (23%), unexplained dizziness (20%), or sudden dimness/loss of vision (18%) as warning signs, and 1 in 5 (20%) did not know 1 stroke warning sign. The majority of women said that they would call 9-1-1 first if they thought they were experiencing signs of a stroke (84%), and this did not vary among black (86%), Hispanic (79%), or white/other (85%) women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge of stroke warning signs was low among a nationally representative sample of women, especially among Hispanics. In contrast, knowledge to call 9-1-1 when experiencing signs of stroke was high.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY (H.M.-G., L.M.); Stroke and Critical Care Division, Department of Neurology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (A.T.); and Department of Neurology, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA (A.T.).
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mochari-Greenberger
authors.forename: Amytis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Towfighi
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mosca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American
keywords: healthcare disparities; stroke; women