Abstract

Background: Stroke has been suggested as one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early recognition and thus, early intervention of stroke necessitate good knowledge toward the disease by the general public. Thereby, the study aimed to establish an evidence-based assessment of attitude, level of knowledge, and awareness of stroke in general population of Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in King Fahad University Hospital among the people who visited the hospital between November 2018 and April 2019. It included visitors or patients’ relatives from outpatient or inpatient department. This study was conducted through a pre-tested and validated questionnaire.
Results: Six hundred and forty-five questionnaires were completed and analyzed. Of the total participants, 71.6% were males and the majority were aged between 21 and 40 years. The findings suggested that males had better knowledge than females and sub-optimal level of awareness was appreciated in the current findings overall.
Conclusion: A defect was found in the recognition of stroke symptoms and risk factors among the public. It was suggested to increase the level of knowledge and raise the awareness further for better outcome via the use of media as a medium to deliver the information.

Key words: Stroke, awareness, knowledge, Saudi Arabia