New Stroke Foundation data has revealed people living in regional New South Wales continue to be significantly more likely than Sydney residents to recognise a stroke, meaning they are more likely to call 000 for emergency, life-saving treatment.
The most recent annual F.A.S.T National Awareness Survey results found that regional New South Wales outperforms Sydney in almost all areas of stroke awareness, particularly when recognising the common stroke signs.
The F.A.S.T acronym highlights the three most common signs of stroke - Facial droop, the inability to lift both Arms, and slurred Speech. The 'T' stands for time, stroke is a medical emergency and always a 000 call.
The survey found that 59 per cent of regional New South Wales residents recognise speech difficulties as a sign of stroke, compared to 43 per cent of Sydney residents, while 54 per cent know facial droop is a sign compared to Sydney's 33 per cent.
At 15 per cent, regional New South Wales residents rate among the most knowledgeable in Australia in recognising that the inability to lift both arms is also a significant indication of a stroke. In Sydney, that awareness level is only 9 per cent, and collectively only 10 per cent of Australians would think 'stroke' when having trouble lifting both arms.
"We already know that regional Australians are 17 per cent more likely to have a stroke than people living in metropolitan areas so it's fantastic to see that residents in regional New South Wales are taking stroke seriously and equipping themselves with life-saving information," says Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Ms Sharon McGowan.
Regional New South Wales' awareness of common stroke signs has improved when compared to the year before. Awareness of speech difficulties and inability to lift both arms increased by one per cent and facial droop increased by four per cent.
Ms McGowan attributes this continued growth to a successful education program Stroke Foundation previously ran in partnership with NSW Health. That program led to a 20 per cent increase in awareness of the common stroke signs by regional New South Wales residents in two years.
"It's great to see the effects of that education campaign continuing. But we can't stop here and lose momentum. Stroke Foundation believes that long-term investment into stroke education, as supported by the NSW government, can create generational change in stroke awareness in the community."
