Knowledge and Perception of Stroke Management Practices Among Middle Aged Residents of Otolo Community in Nnewi North LGA, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: In Nigeria, stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability, due to a non-communicable disease. The mortality rate of stroke in Nigeria is also on the rise. This has given rise to the need to ascertain factors that can aid improve the health seeking behaviors of Nigerians. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perception of middle-aged residents of Otolo community in Nnewi North LGA to stroke management practices; and to identify certain sociodemographic factors that may influence the knowledge and perception of this residents. METHOD: A total of 191 middle-aged residents of Otolo community in Nnewi North LGA, participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed to the participants, which were later collected. Analysis of the collected data was done using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS) version 26. RESULT: The findings of this study revealed that the research participants had a better knowledge of medical stroke management than traditional stroke care. Majority of the participants had a positive perception of medical stroke care. Age, educational status and occupational status were found to have statistically significant association with the participants’ knowledge, while the educational attainment and occupational status were the major demographic variables found to be associated with the respondents’ perception of stroke management practice. CONCLUSION: The middle-aged residents of Otolo community had a fair knowledge of medical management of stroke and a poor knowledge of traditional stroke care. Majority of the research respondents had a more positive perception of medical management of stroke as compared to traditional management. Some of the sociodemographic factors found to impact knowledge and perception of this management practices includes age, educational attainment and occupation.