OBJECTIVE: To tailor standardized stroke awareness and prevention education, using human-centered design methods, to be culturally relevant for Black and African American adults.

BACKGROUND: Stroke causes significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Our Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center participates in outreach throughout the region and state; however, in our county, the total cardiovascular disease death rate is higher than both the state and national average. When looking at age-adjusted death rates for stroke by race/ethnicity, Black and African Americans are most affected in our region. Additionally, this population also experiences stroke at a younger age with more residual disabilities. Literature estimates that 80% of strokes can be prevented with modification of vascular risk factors. Community education is necessary to make an impact on stroke by increasing stroke awareness surrounding risk factors and the time dependent treatment.

METHODS:  Using a modified human-centered design approach, we conducted focus groups to learn the groups’ understanding, perceptions, and experiences surrounding stroke. After, we tailored stroke awareness and prevention curriculum to integrate culturally relevant components based on the findings. We completed two pilot sessions of the new curriculum for efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility. The team used a pre-education survey to evaluate knowledge about stroke prevention strategies prior to the session, and the same survey was administered twice afterwards to evaluate retention.

RESULTS:  Researchers led three focus groups with a total of fifty-three participants and two pilot groups with a total of twenty-two participants. Researchers will enter pre-post survey data into SPSS and analyze using Wilcoxan signed-rank testing to obtain data about the efficacy of the educational program.

CONCLUSION: The team will refine the curriculum based on pilot test findings with the goal of launching a comprehensive and culturally relevant stroke education project around the region, focused on decreasing morbidity and mortality from stroke.