Epilepsy: what do Indian public living in Jammu know? (original) (raw)
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People with epilepsy are suffering from a lot of negative impacts on their lives; due to misunderstanding of the disease and from the associated stigma. To assess the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices of relative of epileptic patients towards epilepsy. A cross-sectional survey has recruited a randomly selected sample of population of Uttar Pradesh. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 487 participants. The questionnaire had four main parts: personal data, knowledge, attitude and practice. Most of the respondents knew the disease, and had witnessed an attack. One third mentioned a brain lesion as the underlying cause of epilepsy. Most of the respondents mentioned loss of consciousness as the major symptom. More than two thirds mentioned that it is not contagious. Most of the respondents claimed that it can be controlled, and two thirds preferred medical treatment. The study revealed that half of the respondents had shown favourable attitudes and practice. The study revealed that the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards epilepsy needs community educational programmes to fill the gaps, and minimize the stigma. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Epilepsy, Relative, Uttar Pradesh
Indian Journal of Community Health, 2015
Objectives: This study was conducted to find out knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) of epilepsy among persons of bundelkhand region. Secondary data from this study was compared with KAP studies from other parts of country. Material and Methods: Four hundred non epileptic persons attending various OPDs of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical college Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh were selected randomly. Printed questionnaire having answer yes or no were used for assessment of KAP. This questionnaire was used by various authors and validated for KAP analysis.Results: It was revealed that word epilepsy was heard by 94% of persons, 64% thought that epilepsy is a mental illness. Twenty three percent believe it to be contagious disease while 21% attribute it to previous life sin. Social discrimination was favored by 53% persons. Negative attitude is shown as more than half persons stated that epilepsy is hindrance to marriage and occupation. Holy treatment by tantric or priest was favored by 20% persons....
Perceptions of the community about epilepsy in rural Tamil Nadu, India
International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 2017
Epilepsy is one of the most common serious brain disorder throughout the world. [1,2] A large cross-sectional study conducted in Kerala found the prevalence of epilepsy as 4.9/1000 population. [3] Although 70% of people with epilepsy can live normal lives with proper treatment, more than 80% people with epilepsy, living in developing
Epilepsy & Behavior, 2011
This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to epilepsy among health science students of Manipal University. The study was conducted among first-year health science students of Kasturba Medical College on the Manipal and Mangalore campuses of Manipal University. All students willing to participate (n = 587) were asked to answer a standardized questionnaire on epilepsy. Our study group included educated urban people from various ethnic backgrounds of various countries who chose health science as a career, which makes the study different from others. Even though most of the students had heard about epilepsy, very few knew about the underlying cause. Most of the students were ignorant about the drugs and ways to deal with epileptic seizures. Questions related to community and religion were deliberately avoided as some subjects found such questions offensive, which may have resulted in a difference in response as compared with previously published studies. It was observed that a large number of students were not aware of the nuances of epilepsy. However, we expect the knowledge, attitudes and awareness to improve considerably with time and increased exposure. These findings support a need to promote epilepsy awareness programs as a means of increasing public knowledge of epilepsy.
Epilepsy & Behavior, 2020
Introduction: Scaling up the involvement of primary care providers in epilepsy management in low and middle income countries requires an understanding of their epilepsy knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). Aim: To document levels of knowledge about, attitudes towards and practices regarding epilepsy among different ranks of primary health care providers in a NorthWestern Indian district. Methods: The survey included government medical officers, auxiliary nurse midwives and accredited social health activists. They were administered a specially designed KAP questionnaire. Responses were analysed according to rank. Results: The survey showed that nearly ten percent of auxiliary nurse midwives and almost a fifth of accredited social health activists had never heard about epilepsy. A quarter of medical officers and over two thirds of auxiliary nurse midwife and accredited social health activists had never provided care to someone with epilepsy. There were significant differences in the levels of knowledge between the three groups of workers. Conclusions: Closing the huge gaps in KAP by educating primary care and community health workers about epilepsy should be a priority before engaging them in the epilepsy care delivery.
International journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014
Objective: Patient's knowledge of his/her disease plays a vital role in epilepsy care. Studies assessing epileptic patient's knowledge of epilepsy have not been done in the state of Kerala, South India, which is distinguished from the rest of India by the high level of literacy and health awareness. The study results can lead to suggestions for appropriate intervention strategies for epileptic patients. Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out in the department of neurology at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India. Newly referred patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. A 15-item validated questionnaire was used to assess patient's awareness of epilepsy, safety aspects, social issues and treatment. Results: 105 epileptic patients with a mean age of 34.4±14.66 years were enrolled in the study. A high percentage of correct responses were observed in relation to epilepsy as not a mental (74.4%), hereditary (74.3%) or contagious disease (95.2%). Encouraging responses were also obtained regarding confidence in leading a married life (77.1%), overall capability of epileptic patients compared to others (77.1%) and the possibility of epilepsy being controlled with treatment (83.8%). Correct responses on safety issues (40.9%), first aid measures (12.3%), driving (31.4%) and swimming (29.5%) were poor. 47.6% of patients feared from the side effects of anti-epileptic drug treatment and only 3.8% were knowledgeable about epilepsy treatment options other than that with medications. Conclusion: The patients in our study had a basic understanding of epilepsy, but knowledge in terms of safety measures, social issues and treatment options were poor. Educational interventions by health care professionals should focus on these facets of epilepsy apart from the general aspects.
Epilepsy & Behavior, 2006
Very little information is available on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) with respect to epilepsy among schoolchildren from developing countries. We quantified KAP with respect to epilepsy among 1213 tenth-grade students of Kerala, southern India. Ninetyeight percent of them had heard or read about epilepsy. However, nearly 60% of students thought that epilepsy was a form of insanity. Allopathic treatment was preferred by more than half of the respondents; however, many had faith in exorcism and visiting religious places as ways to cure epilepsy. Half of the students considered epilepsy a hindrance to education, employment, and marriage. Thirteen percent would be unwilling to sit adjacent to or play with a child with epilepsy. We conclude that although familiarity with epilepsy was high among high school students in Kerala, misconceptions and negative attitudes were alarmingly high. Persistent and effective information campaigns, therefore, are necessary to change their attitudes toward fellow students with epilepsy.
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014
Objective : Patient’s knowledge of his/her disease plays a vital role in epilepsy care. Studies assessing epileptic patient’s knowledge of epilepsy have not been done in the state of Kerala, South India, which is distinguished from the rest of India by the high level of literacy and health awareness. The study results can lead to suggestions for appropriate intervention strategies for epileptic patients. Methods: A prospective, observational study was carried out in the department of neurology at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India. Newly referred patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. A 15-item validated questionnaire was used to assess patient’s awareness of epilepsy, safety aspects, social issues and treatment. Results: 105 epileptic patients with a mean age of 34.4±14.66 years were enrolled in the study. A high percentage of correct responses were observed in relation to epilepsy as not a me...