Exploring Stroke Knowledge in Korean-American Seniors: The Strengthening Our Korean Elders through Community-Partnered Education (STROKE-COPE) Project (P05.237)

OBJECTIVE: To explore knowledge of stroke risk factors, symptoms, and response in elderly Korean-Americans. BACKGROUND: Stroke and cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in Asian-Americans. Elderly Korean-Americans have a higher prevalence of stroke risk factors than Caucasians. Little is known about the level of stroke knowledge Korean-American seniors possess, the impact of cultural beliefs, or sources of health information. DESIGN/METHODS: A Community Advisory Panel of 8 Korean-American community leaders guided the research process, including approving translations. We recruited 64 Korean-American seniors from an adult day health care center and 98 from a large church in southern California. Participants completed written Korean surveys with demographics and 6 open-ended questions about stroke: risk factors (RFs), symptoms (Sx), what to do when having a stroke, knowledge of acute therapies or treatment time windows, and sources of stroke information. Translated verbatim responses were sorted into categories by 3 bilingual study team members. RESULTS: Mean age 74.9 years; 68.5% female. Two of 162 subjects felt very comfortable speaking English; 53.1% were not comfortable speaking English. 53.2% responses were correct stroke RFs; 10.6% responses were about wellness ("excessive eating"); 9.9% responses were cultural causes ("blackening of blood"). Regarding stroke Sx, 66.7% responses were correct; 6.7% responses were psychological ("difficulty sleeping"). Responses to stroke varied, with 50.5% calling 911, 30.7% personally driving to hospital, and 13.1% using cultural remedies ("forcing out blood," "Chinese herbs") 19.3% responses knew of blood thinners; 8.8% responses were cultural ("blood-letting"). 31.5% identified time window CONCLUSIONS: Korean-American seniors lack knowledge about stroke. Most elderly Korean-Americans are uncomfortable speaking English, and cultural remedies are sometimes performed in lieu of calling 911. Stroke interventions in Korean-American seniors must fill knowledge gaps, address cultural misperceptions about stroke, and prioritize community involvement. Supported by: American Heart Association/Pharmaceutical Roundtable – Spina Outcomes Research Center Post-Doctoral Fellowship at UCLA; UCLA Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research/Center for Health Improvement of Minority Elderly (RCMAR/CHIME) under NIH/NIA Grant P30-AG021684; UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) under NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Grant UL1RR033176, which is now at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Grant UL1TR000124; TR000124. Disclosure: Dr. Song has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for serving as Advocacy Editor for AAN.com. Dr. Son has nothing to disclose. Dr. Park has nothing to disclose. Dr. Park has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chung has nothing to disclose. Dr. The STROKE-COPE Community Advisory Panel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ryan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vickrey has received personal compensation for activities with EMD Serono.