title: A community survey of knowledge, perceptions, and practice with respect to epilepsy among traditional healers in the Batibo Health District, Cameroon.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the approach of traditional healers to epilepsy care, in order to develop a community-based epilepsy care program in Batibo Health District.
  
  
  METHODS
  With an 18-item questionnaire, interviews were carried out with 102 traditional healers randomly selected from two associations of traditional healers in the Batibo Health District.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most traditional healers had heard about epilepsy (98.0%), knew someone with epilepsy (97.8%), or had witnessed a seizure (92.2%). About 40% would object to their children associating with people with epilepsy (PWE), 46.1% would object to their children marrying PWE, and 51% linked the disease to insanity. Though 61.8% of the traditional healers could not offer any treatment for epilepsy, most of them thought it was treatable (74.5%) and would readily refer a patient to the hospital (95.1%). The independent predictors of attitudes were: middle age (30-49 years), P=0.00003; female gender, P=0.007; correct knowledge of the cause(s) of epilepsy, P=0.001; and the misconceptions that epilepsy is contagious and that epilepsy is a form of insanity, P=0.003 and 0.019, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional healers constituted the focus group studied so far in Cameroon that is most familiar with epilepsy. Although they still have some negative practices, the attitudes of traditional healers toward PWE in Batibo Health District are satisfactory, compared with those of the general public and students in the same community. These findings provide evidence for the first time in Cameroon suggesting that collaboration between the modern and traditional health systems with the view of bridging the epilepsy treatment gap is possible. There is a need to train traditional healers in epilepsy care in our context.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. aknjamnshi@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Alfred K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Njamnshi
authors.forename: Anne-Cécile Zoung-Kanyi
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bissek
authors.forename: Faustin N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Yepnjio
authors.forename: Earnest N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Tabah
authors.forename: Samuel A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Angwafor
authors.forename: Callixte T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Kuate
authors.forename: Fidèle
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Déma
authors.forename: Julius Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Fonsah
authors.forename: Alphonse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Acho
authors.forename: Marie-Noelle Z-K
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kepeden
authors.forename: Yumo H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Azinwi
authors.forename: Pius B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Kuwoh
authors.forename: Fru F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Angwafor
authors.forename: Walinjom F T
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Muna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population