title: Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward epilepsy among rural Tanzanian residents.
abstract: Before a health education program can be established, one must first know what the target population believes and does with respect to the disease in question. Therefore, we performed a study among Tanzanian rural inhabitants to identify their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward epilepsy: 3,256 heads of households (mean age 40.2 years, range 15-90 years; M/F ratio 1:1) were interviewed. Of the respondents, 32.9% said they had never seen a seizure; 67.7% said they did not know the cause of epilepsy; 33.3% mentioned various causes including heredity, witchcraft, infection of the spinal cord, hernia; 40.6% believed epilepsy was infectious through physical contact, flatus, breath, excretions, sharing food; 36.8% believed epilepsy could not be cured and 17.1% believed it could not even be controlled; 45.3% believed epilepsy could be treated by traditional healers, and only 50.8% believed hospital drugs were of any use; and 62.7% of the respondents would not allow an epileptic child to go to school for various reasons, including mental subnormality (54.0%), fear of the child falling while alone (65.9%), and fear that the epileptic child would infect other children (11.2%). Concerning what is to be done when a seizure occurs, 33.5% of the respondents would keep away and not touch the person; 16.5% would take some potentially harmful measure such as forcing a mouth gag or forcing a drink such as water (1 even mentioned urine); 5.2% would take unnecessary measures such as rushing the patient to a hospital. Only 35.7% of respondents would perform at least some of the currently recommended first-aid measures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Tanzania, Dar es Salaam.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Rwiza
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Matuja
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Kilonzo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haule
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mbena
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mwang'ombola
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jilek-Aall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005392:First Aid; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012424:Rural Population; D013636:Tanzania