Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Stroke and Its Risk Factors and Warning Signals Among the Students of the College of Applied Medicine at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) connected to stroke risk factors, treatment, and the outcome may aid in early case diagnosis, prevention, and minimization of stroke-associated consequences through prompt hospitalization. The goal of our study was to identify the KAP of strokes and explore the relationship between KAP and stroke among Majmaah University students. Methods and Results: Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of strokes, their risk factors, and warning signs were assessed among Majmaah University students using a convenience sampling method. The study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire that had been pre-validated. A total of 284 students were included in the study. A majority, 230(81%), identified stroke as a disease indicating a medical emergency. The knowledge score was poor in 54.2%, satisfactory in 40.5%, and good in only 5.3% of cases. Forty-four percent of participants had positive attitudes, and 56.0% had negative attitudes concerning strokes. Most participants identified high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels (82.7% and 72.5%, respectively) as risk factors for stroke. Diabetes and irregular heartbeat were the risk factors with the lowest probability (34.5% and 33.1%, respectively). Conclusions: This study shows that university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding stroke are weak, highlighting the urgent need to develop educational and awareness initiatives for better health promotion among university students. The health belief model’s guidelines should be used while creating such programs.