Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of adult disability. Women, Hispanics and African-Americans in the U.S. have higher stroke risks and lower recognition of stroke warning signs compared to other populations.
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This May, during National Stroke Awareness Month, National Stroke Association’s Minorities and Stroke video infographic, available in English and Spanish, is designed to creatively educate the public about the risk of stroke and the need to act FAST, especially for women, Hispanics and African-Americans.
“It’s important that at-risk populations understand how to lower their risk for stroke,” said Sharon Januchowski, Executive Vice President at National Stroke Association. “Women, Hispanics and African-Americans need to be aware of the stroke warning signs and actively manage controllable risk factors.”
The Minorities and Stroke campaign also features a webpage with additional stats about stroke and minorities, and a list of resources. Our awareness e-kit has been also updated and contains downloadable materials designed to help people spread the word about stroke.
The e-kit is available at www.stroke.org/awareness.
About Stroke
A stroke is a brain attack that occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. The first step to prevention is identifying if you have any controllable and uncontrollable risk factors and begin to manage them.
Stroke is an emergency. Treatment may be available if a person reaches the hospital in time. Recognizing warning signs can be easy if you remember to think FAST:
F=Face Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A=Arms Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S=Speech Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?
T=Time If you observe any of these signs, then it’s time to call 9-1-1.
