Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Overview

Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time.

The National Council of La Raza’s Institute for Hispanic Health (NCLR/IHH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have partnered on a pilot project to educate Latinos in the United States about stroke. The project, which builds upon NINDS’s public awareness campaign Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time. (Ataque cerebral: conozca los síntomas y actúe a tiempo), mobilizes promotores de salud (lay health educators) to spread messages about stroke through charlas (health talks) in their local communities.

In partnership with NINDS, NCLR/IHH conducted focus group discussions across the country to learn about Hispanics’ knowledge, awareness, and attitudes related to stroke. Based on the findings from this formative research, the two partner organizations developed a Spanish-language tool kit for promotores to use during charlas. This tool kit offers culturally appropriate information on stroke, its symptoms and risk factors, and the importance of calling 911 immediately to receive proper medical treatment.

Specifically, the tool kit includes:

• A 13-minute video that presents testimonies of people who have successfully recovered from stroke due to their prompt action, as well as information from a medical expert.
• A flipchart that complements the information provided in the video. It can also be used alone if audiovisual equipment is not available.
• Brochures that capture key information presented in the video and flipchart. They can be distributed to participants to take home and share with others.

In addition, feedback forms are provided for lay health educators and charla participants to offer their thoughts on the tool kit materials and information.

As part of the project, NCLR/IHH trained promotores at two community-based partner sites about the implementation of the tool kit. The pilot sites, La Clínica del Pueblo in Washington, DC and ProSalud in Houston, Texas will use the tool kit in their communities and assist NCLR/IHH in the evaluation of the charlas and tool kit by providing feedback from the educators and participants.

NCLR/IHH believes that the project will:

• Equip local leaders with culturally sensitive information about stroke
• Raise awareness of stroke symptoms and the importance of calling 911 within the Hispanic community
• Identify effective health communication tools for delivering stroke awareness messages to the Latino community