Primordial & Primary Prevention
Primordial prevention are strategies designed to decrease the development of disease risk factors among the population at large, such as reducing obesity, increasing exercise, and eating a well-balanced diet. These efforts can benefit from partnerships with other stakeholders to help increase policy support and resources.
Primary prevention refers to the treatment of known stroke risk factors including the management of hypertension, lipid levels, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and other modifiable risk factors. Unfortunately, these efforts produce relatively low rates of long-term adherence due primarily to failures in public and provider education and inadequate support mechanisms for aiding both patients and providers in initiating and maintaining prevention strategies.
The Task Force makes the following recommendations in the context of primordial and primary prevention for stroke:
ASA Stroke Policy Paper
- A stroke system should develop support mechanisms to assist communities and providers in initiating prevention regimens applicable to the population as a whole.
- A stroke system should develop support tools to assist the population as a whole, patients, and providers in long-term adherence to primordial and primary preventive treatment regimens.