Secondary school students' knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward epilepsy in the Batibo Health District - Cameroon

36Citations
Citations of this article
63Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Using a 12-item questionnaire, we assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) toward epilepsy and identified determinants of inappropriate attitudes toward people with epilepsy (PWE) among 910 randomly selected secondary school students in Batibo (Cameroon). Ninety-five percent of the students had heard or read about epilepsy, 73.3% knew an epileptic, and 76.4% had witnessed a seizure. Those who would offer equal employment opportunities to PWE, refuse to associate with, or refuse to marry PWE represented 58.6%, 25.4%, and 64.2%, respectively. Negative attitudes appeared to be reinforced by beliefs that epilepsy is hereditary (25.7%), contagious (49.9%), or a kind of insanity (38%). Acquaintance with PWE tended to improve the misconception that epilepsy is contagious (p < 0.001), and to reinforce the view that it is a form of insanity (p < 0.01). A successful epilepsy education program must account for local beliefs, and secondary school students may constitute a good channel for community education. © 2008 International League Against Epilepsy.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Njamnshi, A. K., Angwafor, S. A., Jallon, P., & Muna, W. F. T. (2009). Secondary school students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice toward epilepsy in the Batibo Health District - Cameroon. Epilepsia, 50(5), 1262–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01809.x

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free