BACKGROUND: Effective treatment for @entity1 with acute @entity583 is limited by @entity1 delay in seeking care. Inadequate knowledge of @entity299 may prolong delay. An intervention designed to reduce delay was tested in the Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (REACT) Community Trial. In this report, the impact on knowledge of @entity299 is presented. METHODS: Twenty communities were randomized to intervention or comparison status in a matched-pair design. Intervention strategies included community organization, public education, professional education, and @entity1 education. The main outcome measures were based on information regarding knowledge of symptoms collected in a series of four random-digit-dialed telephone surveys. RESULTS: Knowledge of REACT-targeted symptoms increased in intervention communities. No change was observed in comparison communities. The net effect was an increase of 0.44 REACT-targeted symptoms per individual (P<0.001). The intervention effect was greater in ethnic minorities, @entity1 with lower household incomes, and those with family or spouse history of @entity299 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The REACT intervention was modestly successful in increasing the general public's knowledge of the complex constellation of @entity299 . The intervention program was somewhat more effective in reaching disadvantaged subgroups, including ethnic minorities and @entity1 with lower income. Despite these successes, the post-intervention level of knowledge was suboptimal.

Knowledge of XXXX in 20 US communities. Results from the Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment Community Trial.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient', 'persons'] @entity583 :: ('MESH:D009203', 'Disease') :: ['myocardial infarction'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['heart attack symptoms', 'heart attack']
@entity299 :: (MESH:D006331,Disease) :: ['heart attack symptoms']
