Stroke awareness and associated factors among hypertension and diabetes mellitus patients attending Tororo General Hospital, Eastern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: stroke contributes to mortality, significant morbidity, and disability globally. Diabetic and hypertensive patients have an increased likelihood of developing the condition. Lack of stroke awareness is a major contributor to occurrence in patients with these conditions. There is limited evidence on stroke awareness among patients attending health facilities in Eastern Uganda. This study determined the level of stroke awareness and factors associated with it among patients with diabetes and/or hypertension attending the Non-communicable Diseases Clinic of Tororo General Hospital. Methods: the study was cross-sectional using quantitative methods. A sample of 212 adult patients diagnosed with hypertension and/or diabetes was recruited using systematic random sampling. A pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sample characteristics. Modified Poisson regression was applied to determine factors that are independently associated with stroke awareness. Results: all the 212 participants approached participated in the study. Only 94 out of the 212 participants could identify at least two symptoms or warning signs of stroke. The proportion of participants with awareness of stroke at Tororo General Hospital was 44.3% (95% CI 37.8%-51.1%). After multivariable analysis, three factors were significantly associated with awareness of stroke: sources of stroke-related information (aPR 2.13, 95% CI 1.27-3.59, p<0.00), length of time as non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinic client (aPR 2.05, 95% CI 1.31-3.2, p<0.00) and whether the client had received stroke-related health education (aPR 0.56 95%CI 0.33-0.93, p<0.03). Conclusion: health education on stroke among the patients with hypertension and diabetes, together with dissemination of stroke-related information on radio and television as well as retention of clients in care, are likely to improve awareness of stroke. Recommendations: non-communicable disease clinics ought to conduct routine health education among their clients. The clinics ought to reach out to the public through mass media like local radio stations and television. The non-communicable disease clinics should prioritize retention of their clients in care.