Knowledge and Attitudes towards Epilepsy among Parents in Osogbo Lga Osun State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/ijhsms.v2i11.2969Keywords:
Epilepsy, Knowledge and AttitudeAbstract
Background Epilepsy is a disease characterized by abnormal brain activities causing seizures or unusual behavior, feelings and sometimes loss of awareness. It has neurological, cognitive, psychological and social after-effects and it affects people of all ages, race, social classes, and geographical location. It constitutes a major portion of the global burden of disease, affecting around 50 million people worldwide. This study therefore aims to explore the knowledge and attitudes towards epilepsy among parents in Osogbo LGA Osun state, Nigeria.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used and 234 participants living in Osogbo Local Government Area were used. The data collected was on knowledge of and attitude towards epilepsy. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Chi square and binary logistic regression were used.
RESULTS: Most respondents (94%) have heard of epilepsy with their main sources of information from mass media, health worker, relations/friends and internet. 95.3% of respondents had good knowledge of epilepsy, while 59% had positive attitude to epilepsy. Predictors of respondents’ attitude towards people living with epilepsy, respondents with age group of 36-45 years (OR= 0.316, Cl= 0.146 – 0.686, P= 0.004). Also respondents with good knowledge are eight times more likely (8.597) to have poor attitude towards people living with epilepsy.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, parents living in Osogbo local government area as represented by the study sample have a good level of knowledge on epilepsy and good attitude towards epilepsy in general. There is still a need for continuous community education about epilepsy with the aim of improving the knowledge and attitude of members of the community towards the disease
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