Member's statement: Stroke Prevention Day
Member's statement by Mrs Diane Dodds on .
- MLA
- Mrs Diane Dodds
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 3 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Stroke Prevention Day
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4773635
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thursday 30 January was Stroke Prevention Day. In Northern Ireland, around 4,000 people every year suffer from a stroke. Worryingly, that number has been increasing over the past 20 years, particularly among people of working age. Strokes change lives in an instant. It is important that we have the most up-to-date treatments available for patients in all parts of Northern Ireland to ensure the best outcomes. The Department of Health seems to have been consulting on and contemplating stroke services for a decade. We now need action. A Stroke Association survey last month showed that 43% of people did not know that high blood pressure was the leading risk factor for stroke. Perhaps more concerning, 36% of people who have experienced a stroke, through either their own diagnoses or that of a loved one, did not know that high blood pressure was the biggest risk factor. To mark Stroke Prevention Day, the Stroke Association is encouraging people to have their blood pressure regularly checked. While stroke is most likely to impact on those over the age of 65, it can happen at any age. My constituent Andrew Oliver from Lurgan had a stroke in 2017 at just 22 years of age. Eighteen months prior to his stroke, Andrew was hospitalised for having high blood pressure at twice the recommended limit. At the time, he was unaware that high blood pressure is the cause of almost half of strokes. Andrew and the Stroke Association are encouraging adults of all ages to have their blood pressure checked regularly. That will equip them with the knowledge of whether they are at risk of having a stroke, so that they can take steps to reduce their chances. Blood pressure checks are available via GPs and many pharmacies. I encourage Members to share the social media messaging from the Stroke Association about the prevention of the catastrophic illnesses caused by strokes.
316 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.81).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.81 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.52 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.31 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.17 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:51 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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