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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Stephan Dombrowski, Joan Mackintosh, Professor Falko Sniehotta, Professor Vera Araujo-SoaresORCiD, Emerita Professor Helen Rodgers, Emeritus Professor Richard Thomson, Professor Madeleine Murtagh, Professor Gary Ford, Professor Martin Eccles, Professor Martin White
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
BackgroundThe English mass media campaign ‘Act FAST’ aimed to raise stroke awareness and the need to call emergency services at the onset of suspected stroke. We examined the perceived impact and views of the campaign in target populations to identify potential ways to optimise mass-media interventions for stroke.MethodsAnalysis of semi-structured interviews conducted as part of two qualitative studies, which examined factors influencing patient/witness response to acute stroke symptoms (n = 19 stroke patients, n = 26 stroke witnesses) and perceptions about raising stroke awareness in primary care (n = 30 clinicians). Both studies included questions about the ‘Act FAST’ campaign. Interviews were content analysed to determine campaign awareness, perceived impact on decisions and response to stroke, and views of the campaign.ResultsMost participants were aware of the Act FAST campaign. Some patients and witnesses reported that the campaign impacted upon their stroke recognition and response, but the majority reported no impact. Clinicians often perceived campaign success in raising stroke awareness, but few thought it would change response behaviours. Some patients and witnesses, and most primary care clinicians expressed positive views towards the campaign. Some more critical participant comments included perceptions of dramatic, irrelevant, and potentially confusing content, such as a prominent ‘fire in the brain’ analogy.ConclusionsAct FAST has had some perceived impact on stroke recognition and response in some stroke patients and witnesses, but the majority reported no campaign impact. Primary care clinicians were positive about the campaign, and believed it had impacted on stroke awareness and recognition but doubted impact on response behaviour. Potential avenues for optimising and complementing mass media campaigns such as ‘Act FAST’ were identified.Keywords: Delay; Stroke; Awareness; Mass-media campaign
Author(s): Dombrowski SU, Mackintosh JE, Sniehotta FF, Araujo-Soares V, Rodgers H, Thomson RG, Murtagh MJ, Ford GA, Eccles MP, White M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: BMC Public Health
Year: 2013
Volume: 13
Online publication date: 02/10/2013
Acceptance date: 30/09/2013
ISSN (electronic): 1471-2458
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-915
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-915
PubMed id: 24088381
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