ABSTRACT
Background:Low level of community reintegration among stroke survivors is a major obstacle to rehabilitation services post discharge from acute care. Few studies have assessed the impact of community reintegration on stroke survivors in Nigeria. This study investigates community reintegration and associated factors among stroke survivors in Maiduguri, Nigeria.Methodology:Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 55 stroke survivors attending rehabilitation services from two public hospitals in Maiduguri. Community reintegration was assessed with the Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) questionnaire, while information on sociodemographics (e.g., age group, gender, employment status, educational status) and clinical characteristics (e.g., post stroke duration, types of stroke, side of affectation) was obtained using the data form. Logistic regression analyses with odd ratios were used to test the associations between community reintegration and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics Results:The mean age and post stroke duration of the participants were 44.69±13.06 years and 17.25±24.90 months respectively. The participants’ community reintegration scores showed that 60%, 38.2% and 1.8% have no integration, mild to moderate reintegration and complete reintegration respectively. The results indicated that stroke survivors with a stroke duration greater than 8 months (OR=3.32, C.I=1.08-10.27) and those with haemorrhagic stroke (OR=4.67, C.I=1.05-20.66) were more likely to be reintegrated into the community than their counterparts with 6-8 months post stroke duration and ischaemic stroke, respectively. There was significant association between community reintegration and sociodemographic characteristics such as post stroke duration and type of stroke.Conclusions: Rehabilitation strategies should focus on clinical characteristics of the stroke survivors when planning and delivering effective community reintegration interventions
ABSTRACT
Background: Stroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide and primary prevention, through adequate knowledge of its risk factors and attendant risk factor control/modification, remains the best solution. This study assessed knowledge of stroke risk factors among individuals diagnosed with two of the most common modifiable risk factors of stroke namely hypertension and diabetes. Methods: A consecutive sample of 200 clients diagnosed with hypertension and/or diabetes was recruited into this cross-sectional survey from a university teaching hospital in northern Nigeria between January and March 2011. Clinical, socio-demographic, and knowledge of stroke risk factors data were obtained through face-to-face interview using researcher-developed questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to identify level of knowledge and its associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants. Results: Mean (SD) age of the participants was 49.69 (16.27) years, with more female participants (55.5%) and those diagnosed with hypertension (40.5%). Majority (85%) of the participants knew at least one risk factor and the most commonly known risk factor was hypertension (80%) while family history of stroke (0.5%) and transient ischaemic attack (0.5%) were the least known risk factors. Only diagnosis (P<0.01) and level of educational attainment (P<0.05) had significant associations with knowledge of stroke risk factors with those diagnosed with diabetes (96.3%) and those who had tertiary education (93.1%) being more knowledgeable. Regarding specific risk factors, 64.3% of those with hypertension and 56.8% of those with diabetes respectively identified their conditions as risk factors of stroke. Conclusion: Although a substantial majority of participants in the study knew at least one stroke risk factor, knowledge of some specific risk factors was poor while a little above half of the participants identified their conditions as risk factors for stroke. Effective stroke risk factor awareness and educational strategies are therefore required.