Awareness of Stroke among Teachers in Asser Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: Stroke is a serious life-threatening medical disorder, which is caused by disruption of blood vessels supplying oxygen to the brain cells. Stroke is mainly categorized into two types, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Objective: To assess the knowledge of teachers and their contribution in spreading awareness related to stroke, its causes, risks, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Settings: Government schools in Asser region of Saudi Arabia. Subjects and methods: A 25 questionnaire set was distributed to the teachers for filling up, which included questions to evaluate the teacher’s knowledge on stroke. Main outcome measures: Simple random sampling technique, SPSS software program, Chi-Square test. Results: Teachers from Saudi origin were statistically more aware about stroke (p value=0.003). A statistically significant difference (p value=0.015) was observed in terms of gender of teachers where it was observed that males spread more stroke awareness. Teachers with a bachelor’s degree (p value=0.020) and the ones who specialized in social subjects spread (p value=0.038) significant awareness. Conclusion: It is essential to increase knowledge of teachers regarding stroke. Various campaigns and awareness camps should be conducted to spread awareness. Limitations: This study was performed in only one tertiary hospital.