Participants were more aware of the sequelae of stroke than its physiology. Consistent with a previous study in which African Americans were less likely than White individuals to identify the brain as the anatomical location of stroke and more likely
to identify chest pain as a symptom of stroke (Willey, Williams, & Boden-Albala, 2009), the women in the current study expressed uncertainty about the organ affected by stroke and the physiologic difference between heart attack and stroke. More accurate knowledge of the physiology of stroke may enhance women’s understanding of stroke symptoms and should be a component of comprehensive stroke education for African American women