Stroke awareness and knowledge retention in children: The Brain Child Project

Efforts at public education to improve adults' response to stroke symptoms continue to be disappointing, and very little has been developed to improve the knowledge base of children regarding brain attacks. Children may be able to exert a positive influence on adult behavior and to learn positive healthcare habits, which will also influence their own health.

A total of 561 children enrolled in grades kindergarten through eighth (K-8), participated in The Brain Child Project, which included (1) assessment of their knowledge of stroke awareness (including initiation of the emergency medical system [EMS]) using a multiple-choice questionnaire, (2) attendance at a multimedia educational program designed to increase stroke knowledge, followed by (3) immediate administration of the same questionnaire, and (4) a final administration of the same questionnaire 10 days later to measure retention of acquired learning.

The results showed that these children had a limited understanding of stroke, but with a brief educational program, all grades significantly increased their scores on the average from 64% to 82%. The loss of knowledge between the posttest and the retention test was negligible.

The results of this study indicate that through brief education, children show significant improvement in their knowledge of and response to brain attacks. Future efforts in this direction may positively affect stroke prevention, response and outcomes. A national program could be implemented in the school systems much like heart disease programs, with the ultimate goal of greater public awareness and prevention of stroke.