Multimedia campaigns boost stroke recognition.

Australians are now more aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke. Following the introduction of the “FAST” campaign in 2006.

Research conducted by Janet Bray of the Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine's Australian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (Aus-ROC) into the effectiveness of the multimedia campaigns has shown a 33% increase (from 20% to 53%) in the number of respondents able to identify two or more symptoms of a stroke. Awareness of the advertising campaign was also independently associated with the respondents recalling two or more symptoms.

Alarmingly there was no associated increase in the recall of symptoms among those at a greater risk of stroke. Only those with a history of arterial fibrillation were shown to have a greater recall of stoke warning signs in comparison to others at risk and the general population.

This research serves to illustrate how increasing public awareness can be brought about by effective public health advertising, and in turn hopefully lead to earlier recognition of stroke signs.

Information on stroke awareness can be found on the National Stroke Foundation website.