title: Knowledge, attitudes and practice with respect to epilepsy among secondary school students in the Kumbo West Health District - North West Region- Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main goal of this study was to obtain baseline data on awareness and attitudes and practices with respect to epilepsy among secondary school students.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed a total of 659 students from three randomly selected secondary schools in the Kumbo West Health District, using a 12-item questionnaire in English.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 94.7% had heard about epilepsy, 25.8% had read on the subject, 55.2% knew someone with epilepsy and 77.7% had witnessed a seizure. While 37.9% of students would object to association with people with epilepsy (PWE), 47.8% would object to marriage with PWE. About 77.2% would offer equal employment to PWE although 72.7% believed there were jobs not suitable for PWE. Up to 58% of our sample thought epilepsy is contagious and about 62.2% of them declared that epilepsy is curable. Respectively 65%, 9%, and 30% would recommend a medical doctor, a traditional healer and God's help for treatment of epilepsy. Independent determinants of attitudes were found to be: the belief that epilepsy is a form of insanity or is contagious, having witnessed a seizure, being female, being a Christian and having a higher level of education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high level of awareness on epilepsy and the negative attitudes observed among these students were better than those reported in the same community. The determinants of negative attitudes were found to be diversified, confirming our hypothesis of variation, and our data further suggest that the interplay between these factors may be more complex than generally thought. This requires further qualitative study.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon. aknjamnshi@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Alfred K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Njamnshi
authors.forename: Earnest N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Tabah
authors.forename: Anne-Cécile Zoung-Kanyi
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bissek
authors.forename: Faustin N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Yepnjio
authors.forename: Callixte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuate
authors.forename: Samuel A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Angwafor
authors.forename: Fidèle
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dema
authors.forename: Julius Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Fonsah
authors.forename: Mohamadu Suiru
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wirngo
authors.forename: Alphonse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Acho
authors.forename: Marie-Thérèse
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Obama
authors.forename: Fru F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Angwafo
authors.forename: Walinjom F T
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Muna
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001364:Awareness; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult