Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial

Objective: Stroke treatment is often hampered by delayed Emergency Medical Services activation. Public campaigns to improve the response to stroke symptoms are either costly or not working. We evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based HOBIT program in improving Emergency Medical Services activati...

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Main Authors: Ekaterina Volevach, Hana Maršálková, Robert Mikulik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Preventive Medicine Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000889
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author Ekaterina Volevach
Hana Maršálková
Robert Mikulik
author_facet Ekaterina Volevach
Hana Maršálková
Robert Mikulik
author_sort Ekaterina Volevach
collection DOAJ
description Objective: Stroke treatment is often hampered by delayed Emergency Medical Services activation. Public campaigns to improve the response to stroke symptoms are either costly or not working. We evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based HOBIT program in improving Emergency Medical Services activation.Methods: This cluster randomized trial was conducted from May to June 2023 at 13 schools in the South Moravian region of Czechia. Schools were randomized to the HOBIT intervention or control group with a 3:1 ratio. Both groups had knowledge assessments at baseline and follow-up. The primary outcome was the percentage change from the pretest to the follow-up test in the intervention group compared to the control group in 4 domains: 1) knowledge, 2) self-efficacy, 3) outcome expectations, 4) behavioral intentions.Results: The baseline knowledge was greater than 50 % in most metrics except for knowledge of the FAST test, which was only 16 %. The intervention effect was 16 % (95 % CI 12–21) for knowledge, 10 % (95 % CI 4–15) for self-efficacy,10 % (95 % CI 5–15) for outcome expectations, 8 % (95 % CI 2–11) for behavioral intentions.Conclusions: In school children, even those with high baseline, “HOBIT” intervention can improve determinants and behavioral intentions of Emergency Medical Services activation for suspected stroke.
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spelling doaj-art-948fd2e16b2546509331e1a950a21bcc2025-08-20T02:08:20ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552025-05-015310304910.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103049Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trialEkaterina Volevach0Hana Maršálková1Robert Mikulik2International Clinical Research Centre, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic; First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic; Corresponding author at: International Clinical Research Centre, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicInternational Clinical Research Centre, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicInternational Clinical Research Centre, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic; First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech RepublicObjective: Stroke treatment is often hampered by delayed Emergency Medical Services activation. Public campaigns to improve the response to stroke symptoms are either costly or not working. We evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based HOBIT program in improving Emergency Medical Services activation.Methods: This cluster randomized trial was conducted from May to June 2023 at 13 schools in the South Moravian region of Czechia. Schools were randomized to the HOBIT intervention or control group with a 3:1 ratio. Both groups had knowledge assessments at baseline and follow-up. The primary outcome was the percentage change from the pretest to the follow-up test in the intervention group compared to the control group in 4 domains: 1) knowledge, 2) self-efficacy, 3) outcome expectations, 4) behavioral intentions.Results: The baseline knowledge was greater than 50 % in most metrics except for knowledge of the FAST test, which was only 16 %. The intervention effect was 16 % (95 % CI 12–21) for knowledge, 10 % (95 % CI 4–15) for self-efficacy,10 % (95 % CI 5–15) for outcome expectations, 8 % (95 % CI 2–11) for behavioral intentions.Conclusions: In school children, even those with high baseline, “HOBIT” intervention can improve determinants and behavioral intentions of Emergency Medical Services activation for suspected stroke.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000889Cluster randomized trialSchoolChildrenInterventionStroke awarenessHealth education
spellingShingle Ekaterina Volevach
Hana Maršálková
Robert Mikulik
Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
Preventive Medicine Reports
Cluster randomized trial
School
Children
Intervention
Stroke awareness
Health education
title Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
title_full Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
title_fullStr Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
title_short Enhancing stroke response in school children: Efficacy of the HOBIT program - a cluster randomized trial
title_sort enhancing stroke response in school children efficacy of the hobit program a cluster randomized trial
topic Cluster randomized trial
School
Children
Intervention
Stroke awareness
Health education
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000889
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