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Mszar R, Mahajan S, Valero-Elizondo J, Yahya T, Sharma R, Grandhi GR, Khera R, Virani SS, Lichtman J, Khan SU, Cainzos-Achirica M, Vahidy FS, Krumholz HM, Nasir K. Association Between Sociodemographic Determinants and Disparities in Stroke Symptom Awareness Among US Young Adults. Stroke. 2020 Dec 1; 51(12):3552-3561.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite declining stroke rates in the general population, stroke incidence and hospitalizations are rising among younger individuals. Awareness of and prompt response to stroke symptoms are crucial components of a timely diagnosis and disease management. We assessed awareness of stroke symptoms and response to a perceived stroke among young adults in the United States. METHODS: Using data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey, we assessed awareness of 5 common stroke symptoms and the knowledge of planned response (ie, calling emergency medical services) among young adults ( < 45 years) across diverse sociodemographic groups. Common stroke symptoms included: (1) numbness of face/arm/leg, (2) confusion/trouble speaking, (3) difficulty walking/dizziness/loss of balance, (4) trouble seeing in one/both eyes, and (5) severe headache. RESULTS: Our study population included 24?769 adults, of which 9844 (39.7%) were young adults who were included in our primary analysis, and represented 107.2 million US young adults (mean age 31.3 [±7.5] years, 50.6% women, and 62.2% non-Hispanic White). Overall, 2718 young adults (28.9%) were not aware of all 5 stroke symptoms, whereas 242 individuals (2.7%; representing 2.9 million young adults in the United States) were not aware of a single symptom. After adjusting for confounders, Hispanic ethnicity (odds ratio, 1.96 [95% CI, 1.17-3.28]), non-US born immigration status (odds ratio, 2.02 [95% CI, 1.31-3.11]), and lower education level (odds ratio, 2.77 [95% CI, 1.76-4.35]), were significantly associated with lack of symptom awareness. Individuals with 5 high-risk characteristics (non-White, non-US born, low income, uninsured, and high school educated or lower) had nearly a 4-fold higher odds of not being aware of all symptoms (odds ratio, 3.70 [95% CI, 2.43-5.62]). CONCLUSIONS: Based on data from the National Health Interview Survey, a large proportion of young adults may not be aware of stroke symptoms. Certain sociodemographic subgroups with decreased awareness may benefit from focused public health interventions.