Impact of a Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic Model-Based Educational Package on Knowledge Regarding Stroke Among Security Guards in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.

Background: Stroke is a fatal disease with huge burden worldwide. Nonetheless, it is preventable, provided risk factors are controlled. Modifiable risk factors are associated with 90% of attributable risk for stroke. The growing burden of stroke indicates that the current stroke prevention strategies are either not used properly or insufficiently effective. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of risk factors of stroke and to assess the impact of a VAK (visual-auditory-kinesthetic) model-based educational program on knowledge of stroke among security guards.

Materials and methods: The data were collected in two phases. In the first phase, prevalence of risk factors of stroke among security guards was assessed. In the second phase, the security guards who were found to have high risk of stroke were given the educational package employing the VAK model. The educational package included researcher-developed videos on risk factors and management of stroke, a poster on Act FAST, and a card game on symptoms of stroke. Paired t-test was used to compare the means of knowledge score before and after intervention.

Result: The security guards had risk factors for stroke including hypertension (12.7%), smoking (59%), and obesity (29.4%). The security guards showed improvement in knowledge score regarding stroke from a mean score of 9.2 ± 1.9 to a mean score of 16.3 ± 1.2 (P < 0.001) after the educational intervention.

Conclusion: Hypertension, smoking, and obesity were the most common risk factors of stroke among security guards. The VAK model-based educational package was effective in improving knowledge of security guards regarding signs, symptoms, risk factors, and action to be taken on any sign of stroke.