KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE (KAP) TOWARDS EPILEPSY AMONG PREPARATORY STUDENTS ATTENDING MEDHANIALEM PREPARATORY SCHOOL, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Summary Background: Epilepsy is a chronic non-communicable disorder of the brain that affects people of all ages, worldwide. Fear, misunderstanding, discrimination and social stigma have surrounded epilepsy for centuries and this stigma continues in many countries today and can impact on the quality of life for people with the disorder and their families. Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional descriptive study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards epilepsy among preparatory students attending Medhanialem preparatory school, Gulele sub city, Addis Ababa in the year 2018 G.C. Methods: This study was conducted in Medhanialem preparatory school. Sample size was calculated by using single population proportion sample formula. Study subject were selected using systematic random sampling method. Data was collected with a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire used previously by various authors and analyzed by statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistics, binary and multiple logistic regressions were performed. Results: About 80 % of the participants had heard or read about epilepsy and 85.8 % had claimed to have witnessed a seizure while 78.3 % claimed to know someone with epilepsy. And 68.5 %, 84.7 %, and 93.9 % of respondents had good knowledge, favorable attitude, and safe practice related to epilepsy, respectively. The following factors had significant association with knowledge, attitude, and practice towards epilepsy: educational status, knowing someone with epilepsy, knowledge, medical personnel and friend as source of information about epilepsy. Conclusions: In this study the findings indicated that the students of Medhanialem Preparatory school were familiar with epilepsy, most of them had favorable attitude and safe practice related to epilepsy but had vague knowledge about epilepsy and misunderstandings regarding management of seizures.