Direct and Indirect Effects of Elementary School Stroke Education in Akashi City: Before-Class Versus After-Class Test Comparison.
Cureus · 2026-02-01 · Quasi-experimental
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether elementary school students could acquire knowledge about stroke symptoms and responses by attending a class taught by an emergency medical technician. This study determined if students can communicate the same content to their guardians. METHODS: Between September 2014 and March 2019, emergency medical technicians conducted stroke education classes for elementary school students in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture. Students who attended the classes subsequently conveyed their knowledge to their guardians. Both the students and guardians who received information from them were included in the analysis. A nine-point stroke knowledge test was administered to students and guardians before and after the class, and the mean total scores were compared using a paired t-test. RESULTS: In total, 5,520 elementary school students and 4,132 guardians participated in this study. In the nine-point test administered before and after the class, the mean score among students significantly increased from 6.3 to 8.7 (difference: 2.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.39-2.41, p < 0.01), and the mean score among guardians significantly increased from 7.6 to 8.5 (difference: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.91-0.93, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: After the school-based educational intervention, short-term improvements in stroke-related knowledge were observed among elementary school students, with corresponding improvements also observed among guardians.