Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul;50(7):1846-1849.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.025105. Epub 2019 Jun 5.

Community-Level Knowledge and Perceptions of Stroke in Rural Malawi

Hazzie Mvula  1 , Christina Chisambo  1 , Vitumbiko Nyirenda  1 , Steffen Geis  1   2 , Judith R Glynn  2 , Amelia C Crampin  1   2 , Moffat Nyirenda  1   2 , Liam Smeeth  2 , Richard Walker  3 , Alison J Price  1   2
Affiliations

Community-Level Knowledge and Perceptions of Stroke in Rural Malawi

Hazzie Mvula et al. Stroke. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Background and Purpose- The incidence of stroke in Malawi is unknown but major risk factors, including hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, are highly prevalent. We sought to understand community-level knowledge about stroke. Methods- A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural Malawi (2016-2017). Adults aged ≥15 years were randomly selected and interviewed about their knowledge and perceptions of stroke symptoms, risk factors, and prevention. Logistic regression was used to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with stroke knowledge. Results- Of 812 selected, 739 (91% response rate) were seen and consented; 57% were female, and the median age was 52.0 years. Knowledge of stroke was poor: 71% knew no (correct) risk factors. Witchcraft (20.6%) was mentioned as frequently as hypertension (19.8%) as a cause. Knowledge of stroke was greatest in the most educated and wealthy and lowest in men, the never married, and the youngest age group. HIV-positive individuals had higher knowledge of prevention (odds ratio, 2.91; 95% CI, 1.21-7.03) than HIV negative individuals. Conclusions- Knowledge about stroke is very low in this community, particularly among the least educated and poor. Programs to support prevention, early recognition, and timely hospital presentation after a stroke are needed.

Keywords: Malawi; knowledge; stroke; witchcraft.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Naghavi M, Abajobir AA, Abbafati C, Abbas KM, Abd-Allah F, Abera SF, et al. Global, regional and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390:1151–1210. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Feigin VL, Krishnamurthi RV, Parmar P, Norrving B, Mensah GA, Bennett DA, et al. GBD 2013 Writing Group; GBD 2013 Stroke Panel Experts Group. Update on the global burden of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in 1990-2013: the GBD 2013 study. Neuroepidemiology. 2015;45:161–176. doi: 10.1159/000441085. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Owolabi M, Olowoyo P, Popoola F, Lackland D, Jenkins C, Arulogun O, et al. The epidemiology of stroke in Africa: a systematic review of existing methods and new approaches. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2018;20:47–55. doi: 10.1111/jch.13152. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Walker R, Whiting D, Unwin N, Mugusi F, Swai M, Aris E, et al. Stroke incidence in rural and urban Tanzania: a prospective, community-based study. Lancet Neurol. 2010;9:786–792. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(10)70144-7. - PubMed
    1. Walker RW, Jusabani A, Aris E, Gray WK, Unwin N, Swai M, et al. Stroke risk factors in an incident population in urban and rural Tanzania: a prospective, community-based, case-control study. Lancet Global Health. 2013;1:e282–288. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types