Stroke is a leading cause of death and disabilities. Early recognition of stroke symptoms is essential to improve stroke outcomes.

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of stroke symptoms and the general perception of stroke in a sample of the French general population.

This study used data from the 2019 Barometer of the French Public Health Agency. This is a random phone survey which allowed exploration of the perceptions and knowledge of 5074 persons aged 18-85 on Stroke. Data were adjusted to the French population structure. Logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with the lack of knowledge of the 3 following symptoms: « Paralysis of an arm or a leg », « mouth distortion » and « trouble speaking ».

In 2019, 53% of individuals interviewed feared having a stroke, particularly women (58%), and 2% declared having already had a stroke. Only 53% of the population studied knew that stroke was located in the brain whereas others thought stroke came from the heart or from both heart and brain. When asked if there was an efficient treatment for stroke, only 54.3% responded positively. With regard to stroke symptoms, « trouble speaking » was recognized by 94% of the participants, and 83% were able to simultaneously identify the 3 following symptoms « paralysis of an arm or a leg », « mouth distortion » and « trouble speaking » as stroke symptoms. The lack of knowledge of these symptoms was associated with male sex, age under 45, low education level, living in a city, smoking, being single, and not having first aid's course training.

The knowledge of stroke symptoms is globally high in the French population however there is still a lack of knowledge about the illness itself and its treatment. Therefore, future prevention campaigns should target young people and those with low socio-economic status to improve knowledge of stroke symptoms.