Introduction
Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third cause of death in the world.1,2 In Mexico, it represents the fourth cause of death in adults.3,4
A delay in recognizing initial clinical manifestations and the risk factors (RF) of an acute ischemic cerebrovascular event results in a delay in medical support for adequate treatment. The American Heart Association,5 the Mexican Academy of Neurology, and the Mexican Association of Cerebrovascular Disease6 have emphasized that the most effective way to prevent and obtain timely treatment for ischemic stroke is through identification of RF and early warning signs (WS) by the general public.
In Mexico, knowledge of RF and WS is low,7 and there are no campaigns to increase it. For this reason, we conducted a survey to assess public knowledge and the short-term impact of a low-cost community education program performed with the support of medical students.