Knowledge and Practices Regarding Stroke and Associated Factors among Patients Attending the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic at Al‑Thawra General Hospital in Ibb, Yemen

Background In Yemen, rising stroke prevalence exacerbated by modifiable risks including khat chewing and healthcare constraints underscores a critical scarcity of data on patient awareness and preventive practices, reflecting the disproportionate global burden faced by LMICs. Objective This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and practices regarding stroke and associated factors among patients attending the internal medicine outpatient clinic at Al‑Thawra General Hospital in Ibb, Yemen. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study of 400 patients (March–July 2026) used a validated Arabic-adapted questionnaire and convenience sampling; data were analyzed with SPSS v.27. Results The mean overall knowledge score was 17.27 ± 3.54 (75.1%), with the highest domain scores for stroke consequences (5.67 ± 1.46 out of 7; 80.9%) and the lowest for general knowledge (3.26 ± 0.96; 65.1%). Practice scores were notably poor (9.80 ± 3.30; 49.0%), with substantial gaps in regular health monitoring and emergency response. Married status independently predicted nearly fivefold higher odds of adequate knowledge (p = 0.003), whereas khat chewing reduced the odds by 44% (p = 0.014). For practices, smoking abstinence (p = 0.034), khat abstinence (p = 0.010), and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.025) were significant predictors. Conclusion Despite reasonable knowledge, participants demonstrated poor preventive practices, revealing a critical knowledge-practice gap. Culturally tailored interventions addressing the underrecognized risk of khat chewing and promoting prompt emergency response are urgently needed to mitigate the growing stroke burden in Yemen.