title: Current beliefs and attitudes regarding epilepsy in Mali.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Mali, epilepsy affects 15 individuals per thousand. Perceptions and attitudes have not seemingly evolved with advancing medical knowledge. The objective of this study was to assess parental beliefs and attitudes in families with and without affected children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 720 pediatric patients, half of whom had epilepsy, at Mali's largest hospital. We conducted semistructured interviews with the accompanying parent. Control families with unaffected patients and also had affected children were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 67% and 24% of families with and without epilepsy, respectively, lived in rural environments. Interviewees were mostly mothers in their 30s; 80% had not completed high school. About 22% of parents without an affected child had witnessed a seizure. During a seizure, 94% of parents with an affected child and 49% of parents without an affected child, respectively, would intervene; 7.5% and 21%, respectively, would wet the patient's face with cool water. Although parents with an affected child had more intimate knowledge of seizures, misconceptions prevailed, perhaps more so than in families without epilepsy: 79% and 66% of parents, respectively, considered epilepsy contagious; 43% vs. 69% thought that it inevitably led to psychosis; and 53% vs. 29% attributed epilepsy to supernatural causes. Finally, 63% of parents with an affected child reported consulting a traditional healer as first-line management for epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates widespread misconceptions in Mali regarding epilepsy. Our findings argue for more education initiatives focused on the entire population, including traditional healers, to provide knowledge, reduce stigma, and improve quality of life for individuals living with epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, PO Box 267, Bamako, Mali. Electronic address: youssoufamaiga@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Youssoufa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, PO Box 267, Bamako, Mali; Neurology Department, Ibn Tofail Hospital, BP 7010, Sidi Abbad, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albakaye
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Hôpital Moderne de l'Amitié à Kipé, BP 3368, Guinea.
authors.forename: Lanssana Laho
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, PO Box 267, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Broulaye
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, Hospital of Gao, PO Box 107, Gao, Mali.
authors.forename: Yacouba
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cissoko
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, PO Box 267, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Seybou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hassane
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, PO Box 267, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diakite
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Ibn Tofail Hospital, BP 7010, Sidi Abbad, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clare McCaughey
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Ibn Tofail Hospital, BP 7010, Sidi Abbad, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Najib
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kissani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sainte-Justine Hospital (CHU Sainte-Justine), University of Montreal, 3175 Cote Sainte-Catherine, Suite 5421, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Diaconu
authors.affiliation: Applied Clinical Research Unit, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, 3175 Cote Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buch
authors.affiliation: Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Disease, University of Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: Kassim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kayentoa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Sainte-Justine Hospital (CHU Sainte-Justine), University of Montreal, 3175 Cote Sainte-Catherine, Suite 5421, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carmant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003469:Culture; D004827:Epilepsy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Africa; Attitude; Belief; Education; Epilepsy; Mali; Seizures; Stigma