Readiness to change and brief educational interventions: successful strategies to reduce stroke risk

Despite recent advances in stroke treatment and prevention, identifying effective educational interventions for "at-risk" groups that will help reduce their stroke risk and improve the speed of seeking treatment remains of paramount importance. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether a brief educational intervention, tailored to the patient's stage of readiness to change, could affect the initiation and achievement of stroke risk-reducing behaviors for this at-risk population. The study also explored potential demographic and medical confounders that could influence behavioral and knowledge goal achievement. Three groups of 20 participants, each with multiple risk factors for stroke, from a family practice clinic were randomly assigned to a control, simple-advice, or brief intervention group. The majority of the participants were African American with a mean age of 68 years. Selected findings showed (a) significant differences in the number of newly initiated stroke-risk-reduction behaviors and stroke knowledge among the three groups and (b) significant positive correlations between the action stage of readiness to change and the initiation and achievement of the new stroke-risk-reduction behaviors. Although results supported the usefulness of the brief intervention model to reduce modifiable stroke-risk factors and increase stroke knowledge, the necessity of additional longitudinal research that refines the targeting of interventions for diverse racial, cultural, and age groups was acknowledged.