Below is an abstract of each RRTC training project.

T1. Primary Prevention of Stroke for Spanish-Speaking People

To prevent stroke and to benefit from medical and surgical interventions for stroke treatment, individuals must have adequate education regarding the warning signs of stroke and the need for early intervention. Individuals at high risk for stroke in an urban community are often deficient in their knowledge of stroke prevention practices. This means that opportunities for effective prevention and treatment of stroke are being missed due to lack of appropriate education. One minority community in particular that continues to be overlooked is the Hispanic community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics comprise more than nine percent of the general population and almost 20% of the population of Chicago. Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in this population, yet little is known about the course of stroke in Hispanics. Moreover, because of language and other barriers little has been done to target this population for stroke prevention. The few research studies that have been done have found that Hispanics have a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, tobacco smoking, and obesity compared to non-Hispanic whites. The manifestation of stroke also appears to be different between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, with a higher incidence of hemorrhagic strokes in Hispanics. Because primary prevention education on the risk factors and warning signs of stroke is believed to reduce incidence and severity of strokes, it is imperative that all segments of the population have access to this information. The purpose of this training project is to provide stroke education to Spanish speaking adults living in the community.

Monthly education sessions take place in community centers and churches located in the Hispanic communities of the Chicagoland area. Participants complete a Stroke Knowledge Questionnaire to assess their knowledge base and a Lifestyle Questionnaire to obtain personal and medical information about each participant. The participants then observe a 25-minute slide show narrated in Spanish. Immediately following the education program, the participant takes part in a risk assessment screening that includes blood pressure screening, carotid bruit assessment, blood glucose assessment and cardiac rhythm assessment. The results are then reviewed with each participant. A second questionnaire is completed by the participants at the end to assess any changes in their knowledge base.

T5. Clinician-Researcher Mentorship Program

This Center is committed to the development of clinicians as clinician-researchers who ultimately will have the expertise to independently gather empirical data on the effects of their clinical interventions. The purpose of this project is: 1) to train clinicians in appropriate techniques to measure the treatment efficacy of their interventions; and 2) to guide clinicians through pilot studies assessing the efficacy of specific innovative treatment approaches for patients who have suffered a stroke. Guidance and mentoring is provided to the pilot project investigators throughout their pro-jects. They meet weekly with an experienced clinician-researcher to identify and discuss any problems that may arise, and to ensure that the projects are progressing smoothly. Two pilot studies that assess the efficacy of innovative interventions for individuals with stroke have been undertaken by clinicians.

Project 1: 10/98 - 9/2000

Clinician: Nina Robbins-Byrnes (Occupational Therapist)

• Completed a survey on social and leisure community integration for people with stroke
• Devised and delivered a hands-on computer training program for people with stroke to help them access, via the internet, appropriate social and leisure community activities.

Clinician: Edna Babbitt (Speech-Language Pathologist)

• Completed a single-subject multiple baseline design across behaviors with two subjects to assess the efficacy of an oral reading treatment program for individuals with aphasia and apraxia of speech.

American Stroke Association
National Stroke Association
National Aphasia Association
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Education and Training Center

This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Grant Number H133B980021

©2002 Rehabilitation Research and Training Center