The Factors Associated with Dietary Knowledge and Educational Needs of Stroke Patients

Purpose: The purpose of the this study was to examine the dietary knowledge and educational needs of stroke patients and analyze the related factors that are associated with dietary knowledge and educational needs. Methods: Our study analyzed data from 146 stroke patients. The survey was conducted by individual interviews using questionnaires and data collected from participants’ medical records. Dietary knowledge and educational needs were measured by tools developed by the author. Results: The mean scores for the dietary knowledge and educational needs were 19.09± 3.48 and 36.17± 7.18, respectively. Many stroke patients had miscon-ceptions about soy sauce, cholesterol, and fruits. The most needed items in dietary education was first identifying foods that are beneficial or harmful, and second, food interaction with medications. As for the results of multiple regressions, dietary knowledge was significantly associated with gender, educational attainment, monthly income, exercise, body mass index, and level of compliance to dietary therapy. Additionally, the educational needs were significantly related with educational attainment and employment. Con-clusion: For secondary prevention of stroke patients, education strategy considering dietary knowledge and educational needs of stroke patients should be established. Special attention is needed for stroke patients with a lower level of dietary knowledge and educational needs.