Abstract:
Background: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Inadequate knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning signs contributes delay in medical care seeking in turn leading to potential ineligibility for acute intervention of secondary complications. Currently, Level of knowledge on risk factors and warning signs of stroke among hypertensive patients are not well known in Ethiopia.
Objective: To assess knowledge on risk factors, warning signs of stroke and associated factors among hypertensive patients on follow up at public hospitals in West Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021
Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study design was used among hypertensive patients on follow up at public hospitals in West Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021, from August 1-30/2021. A total of 326 participants were involved in the study and a systematic random sampling technique was used to select these participants randomly. The collected data were entered into Epi data 3.1 and exported to statistical package for social sciences version 26 for analysis. The binary logistic regression model was used to assess association between knowledge of risk factors and warning sign of stroke with independent variables. All variable with p-value ≤ 0.25 on bivariate analysis were included in to the multivariable analysis. The magnitude of the association was measured using an adjusted Odds Ratio with its 95% confidence interval, and statistical significance was declared at P- value < 0.05.
Result: Out of the total 326 study participants, 321 fully responded which makes the response rate 98.5%. Ninety two (28.7%; 95%CI: 23.8, 33.9%) of respondents had good knowledge of risk factors of stroke, whereas 106 (33%; 95%CI: 27.9, 38.5%) of respondents had good knowledge about warning signs of stroke. Urban residence (AOR=3.6, 95% CI, 1.135, 11.493) and getting counseling service (AOR=10, 95% CI 3.27, 31.245) were significantly associated with good knowledge of risk factors of stroke at p value <0.05. In addition, getting counseling service (AOR=7.606, 95% CI, 2.870, 20.162), were significantly associated with good knowledge of warning signs of stroke on multivariable binary logistic regression analysis at p-value <0.05.
Conclusion: This study revealed that knowledge about risk factors and warning signs of stroke was low among hypertensive patients. Educational status, residence, getting counseling service, and know someone with stroke were the common factors significantly associated with both good knowledge of risk factors and warning signs of stroke. Regular counseling on stroke was the mainstay to incr
