title: Parent and caregiver knowledge, beliefs, and responses to convulsive seizures in children in Kingston, Jamaica - A hospital-based survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and beliefs about seizures and actions during seizures of parents/caregivers of Jamaican children hospitalized for convulsive seizures.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of parents and caregivers of children with acute convulsive seizures hospitalized at the Bustamante Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica between May 1 and October 31, 2013. Subjects were identified by admission records. Parents/caregivers were invited to participate. A questionnaire on the demographics, knowledge, beliefs, and response of parents/caregivers during the child's current seizure episode was administered face to face. Data were analyzed for frequencies: groups were compared using chi-square analysis for categorical variables, Student's t-test for normally distributed data, and the Mann-Whitney U-test for data not normally distributed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were fifty participants: 39 (78%) mothers, mean (SD) age - 33.8 (10.1) years. All sought medical care first. Twenty-two (44%) had plausible beliefs about the cause of seizures. Twenty-seven (54%) knew of appropriate actions during a seizure, 10 (20%) knew of appropriate precautions, and 11 (22%) responded appropriately during the seizure. Eleven (22%) reported receiving seizure education. Witnessing a previous seizure, education level, and seizure education were associated with knowledge of seizures (p<0.05). Socioeconomic status was higher in those with plausible beliefs about seizures and lower in those who took appropriate action during a seizure (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents/caregivers of children with convulsive seizures have appropriate health-care seeking behavior, but most do not have appropriate knowledge about seizures. Few take appropriate action during the episode. A public education program is needed to improve parental knowledge of and response to convulsive seizures.
authors: Bustamante Hospital for Children, Kingston, Jamaica.
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Hall-Parkinson
authors: Bustamante Hospital for Children, Kingston, Jamaica.
authors: Judy
authors: J
authors: Tapper
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Health, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Electronic address: roxanne.melbournechambers@uwimona.edu.jm.
authors: Roxanne
authors: R
authors: Melbourne-Chambers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012640:Seizures / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Developing country; Jamaica; Knowledge; Parent; Seizures