Providing Stroke and Hypertension Education in Amharic for Ethiopian Persons Living in Dallas, Texas, United States

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge of a stroke education module provided to bilingual members of the Ethiopian immigrant population in Dallas, Texas, presented in the Amharic language as compared to in English. Methods: A convenience sample of 84 participants were recruited using a snowball technique and randomly assigned to receive education in English or Amharic. The participants completed a pre- and posttest of their knowledge about strokes, a demographic survey, and a satisfaction survey. Data was analyzed using a general linear model and chi-square analysis. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between satisfaction scores comparing those educated in Amharic versus English (χ² = 6.5108, p =.0107). Although mean pretest (10.8) and posttest (16.4) stroke knowledge scores were higher across all groups (p <.001), the mean posttest scores were lower for subjects who watched the Amharic versus the English video (14.9 vs. 18.1, p =.003). Conclusion: This study did not show a statistically significant increase in knowledge about stroke when presented learning materials in subjects' native language compared to in English. The use of video to present stroke and stroke-risk educational content can be used in future research and global health initiatives to increase stroke knowledge in the Amharic-speaking community.