Stroke preparedness in children: translating knowledge into behavioral intent: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Education
• Neurology

Background:

• Improving stroke knowledge can influence health behaviors and outcomes.
• Children are a key demographic for influencing family health decisions.
• The effectiveness of stroke education interventions for children is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the impact of educational interventions on stroke knowledge among children.
• To assess the effect of these interventions on behavioral intent related to stroke.

Main Methods:

• Searched Ovid, PubMed, and Embase databases (January 2000 - December 2014).
• Included English-language studies on children aged 6-15 years receiving stroke education.
• Compared baseline, early, and late post-intervention test results for knowledge and behavioral intent.

Main Results:

• Nine studies met inclusion criteria, analyzing data from 58 initial articles.
• Stroke knowledge improved significantly from baseline (51.7%) to early (74.0%) and late (67.3%) post-intervention.
• Behavioral intent showed marked improvement from baseline (63.8%) to early (92.1%) and late (83.9%) post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Children represent a viable target population for enhancing stroke knowledge and promoting behavioral intent.
• Interventions show positive short-term and long-term effects in children.
• Findings support implementing widespread stroke educational initiatives for children.