Secondary Stroke Prevention: Tackling Risk Factor Reduction One Family at a Time

Stroke is the leading cause of disability and third leading cause of death in the United States. While many patients hospitalized for stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack) experience a strong desire to change lifestyle choices, changes such as these may be difficult or impossible to affect and maintain without support of family and friends. The FURRThER (Families Understanding Risk Reduction Through Educational Reinforcement) Study aims to test the effectiveness of a family-based educational intervention to increase knowledge of stroke risk factors, increase utilization of known risk factor reduction strategies, and reduce risk for secondary stroke in families in a multiethnic community. The FURRThER intervention is designed to improve health behaviors in family members through three targeted domains: improving involvement in community activities, improving physical activity and eating habits, and facilitating communication with health providers.

Lifestyle changes, such as risk factor reduction, are most effective when made in conjunction with the support of immediate family. Additionally, while stroke risk is demonstrated in a stroke or TIA survivor, common risk factors may be undetected in family members of survivors who share not only genetic propensity to cardiovascular disease, but also environmental factors, including dietary and exercise habits, common stressors and health attitudes and beliefs.

This presentation will address the effectiveness of health education by treating the family unit rather than the individual survivor. Barriers to successful behavior modification within the family setting will be discussed.