Research Highlights:
Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
DALLAS, Jan. 30, 2025 — When it comes to prompting people to call 911 at the first sign of stroke, both F.A.S.T. and BE-FAST stroke warning signs acronyms were equally effective. However, people remembered the key stroke warning signs (face, arm and speech) better with the F.A.S.T. acronym, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2025 . The meeting is in Los Angeles, Feb. 5-7, 2025, and is a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science of stroke and brain health.
Each year, approximately 800,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics . Immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death. Awareness and recognition of stroke symptoms has improved over the last decade, yet more awareness is needed.
Both F.A.S.T. (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) and BE-FAST (Balance, Eye, Face, Arm, Speech, Time) are acronyms used as health communication mnemonics to help a person remember important warning signs of stroke.
The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, currently utilizes the F.A.S.T. acronym. Some hospital and health care systems across the country have switched from using F.A.S.T. to BE-FAST in their consumer-facing stroke educational efforts. The belief is that adding additional symptoms, loss of balance and vision, to the acronym would result in greater identification of posterior circulation strokes, which represent approximately 20% of ischemic strokes and tend to be more disabling.
The Association convened a diverse group of researchers with expertise in stroke, epidemiology and market research to conduct a study, which focused on the general public, to assess whether F.A.S.T. or BE-FAST leads to better stroke symptom recall and whether either acronym is more likely to prompt calling 911. Assessments of stroke and symptom knowledge among the two acronym groups were taken at baseline, immediately after viewing a 1-minute educational video and 30 days later.
“This research was unique in that it blends health care terminology, methods and randomized approaches to identify how we can most effectively deliver messages to the public in a way that will allow us to reduce the burden of stroke,” said study lead author Opeolu Adeoye, M.D., M.S., FAHA, American Heart/Stroke Association volunteer and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Historically, health care professionals want to provide the most comprehensive warning sign mnemonic to ensure no strokes are missed. What this research shows is, from a public point of view, adding two extra letters made it more challenging to recall the stroke warning signs.”
The study found:
“It is critically important that there is a recognition of stroke signs and symptoms by the general public. The more people are aware of the stroke warning signs, the better we may activate the processes needed to ensure patients get care as quickly as possible,” Adeoye said.
Study details, background or design:
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the abstract. This research was sponsored by the American Stroke Association with funding support from the HCA Healthcare Foundation.
Statements and conclusions of studies that are presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. Abstracts presented at the Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, rather, they are curated by independent review panels and are considered based on the potential to add to the diversity of scientific issues and views discussed at the meeting. The findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here .
Additional Resources:
###
About the American Stroke Association
The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit stroke.org . Follow us on Facebook , X .