Empowered to Serve: Implementing Community Stroke Outreach Using Peer Educators to Improve Readiness to Act Among...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health Education
• Neurological Disorders

Background:

• Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability.
• Effective community-based stroke education is crucial for increasing public awareness and preparedness.
• Existing educational programs require accessible and cost-effective delivery methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a community volunteer peer educator group for stroke education.
• To enhance stroke awareness and action readiness among local residents.
• To implement the "Empowered to Serve" curriculum, specifically the "Don't Miss a Stroke" module.

Main Methods:

• Recruited and trained 16 community volunteers as peer educators.
• Volunteers delivered stroke education using the "Don't Miss a Stroke" curriculum.
• Community events reached over 300 residents, with a focus on stroke recognition, emergency actions, and prevention.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in stroke knowledge were observed immediately after the educational sessions.
• Knowledge retention was sustained one month post-intervention (F2,144 = 4.832, P = .009).
• The program effectively raised community awareness of stroke emergencies with minimal financial investment.

Conclusions:

• A community-based volunteer peer educator model is an effective strategy for stroke education.
• The "Empowered to Serve" curriculum provides a valuable and accessible resource for stroke awareness initiatives.
• Low-cost, accessible educational programs can significantly improve community knowledge and readiness for stroke emergencies.