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“Seminal research” published in leading medical journal
June 7, 2007: In an editorial in the leading medical journal, Stroke, Stephen Davis of the West Virginia University Department of Emergency Medicine, writes, “the current study of Hodgson et al represents a seminal contribution to the literature” on the effects of public education on hospital presentation for stroke. The article (Can mass media influence emergency department visits for stroke?) was published in the June 7 edition of Stroke.
The article, co-authored with Patrice Lindsay of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Frank Rubini of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, is in many respects an extension of previous research conducted and published by Hodgson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. In 2003, Hodgson conducted the analysis for and co-authored “Advertising strategies to increase public knowledge of the warning signs of stroke”, also published in Stroke.
The 2007 article describes the relationship between television advertising on the warning signs of stroke, public knowledge of the warning signs (as determined by random digit telephone polling) and the number of emergency department visits for stroke (derived from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network). Compared to periods when there was no television advertising, when the ads were showing there were statistically significant increases in emergency department visits for stroke. The effect was particularly strong for transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), temporary “mini-strokes” which are signals of compromised cerebral blood flow. In an interview with Reuters Health, Hodgson stressed that “Every TIA that shows up at a hospital,” she was quoted as saying, “is an opportunity for secondary prevention that could prevent a completed stroke down the road.”
The study is considered seminal because it is one of the few to try and track the impact of mass media efforts on not just knowledge but on behaviour. It is also an important benchmark for cardiovascular health promotion and social marketing.
The 2007 and 2003 studies suggest you don’t need intensive television advertising to reach and educate the public, but there is a need for continuous advertising. She pointed out to Reuters that although the Ontario campaign cost $1.8 million a year, the annual societal cost of stroke tops $800 million.
CSH Associates, Inc., is a consultancy that focuses upon health statistics, research and communications. Founded in 1989 and drawing upon a range of specialized research and communications professionals, it helps health-oriented organizations and businesses to “Work their data. Shape their message.”
For more information, contact:
Corinne Hodgson, President
CSH Associates Inc.
378 Melores Drive, Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7L 4T8
Ph: 905-634-4019 Fax: 905-534-3515 E: corinne@cshassociates.com
