Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers of children with epilepsy in Sudan
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Rahba O El-Amin1, Sarah M El-Sadig2, Inaam N Mohamed3
1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Insights
Caregiver knowledge about epilepsy in Sudan is limited, particularly regarding its origins and appropriate seizure management. Educational programs are recommended to improve understanding and practices for children with epilepsy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Epilepsy affects numerous children globally, necessitating informed caregiver support.
- Caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) significantly influence patient outcomes.
- Understanding local KAP is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers for children with epilepsy.
- To identify specific areas of misunderstanding and suboptimal practices among caregivers.
- To inform the development of targeted educational interventions.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 107 caregivers of children with epilepsy.
- Data collected via structured interviews and review of medical records.
- Study conducted at a pediatric tertiary university hospital in Khartoum, Sudan.
Main Results:
- Most caregivers recognized epilepsy as non-infectious, but less than half understood its non-supernatural origins.
- A majority believed epilepsy leads to lost opportunities and social stigma.
- Inadequate first aid practices (e.g., positioning, water sprinkling) were common.
- Caregivers of children with Generalized Tonic-Clonic seizures had lower knowledge scores and held more misconceptions about epilepsy's cause and presentation.
Conclusions:
- Caregivers require ongoing epilepsy education to address knowledge gaps and improve practices.
- Findings highlight the need for culturally relevant educational programs and support resources.
- This study provides a foundation for enhancing caregiver support in the region.
Objective:
To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of caregivers of children with epilepsy.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 107 consecutive caregivers of children diagnosed with epilepsy, attending the neurology outpatient clinic in a Pediatric tertiary university hospital, in Khartoum, Sudan for regular check-up. Data were obtained by an interviewer through a structured questionnaire, while clinical parameters of children with epilepsy were taken from medical records.
Results:
Most respondents knew that epilepsy is not an infectious disease (92.5%), while the least proportion of caregivers (41.1%) knew that epilepsy did not emanate from a supernatural origin. The majority of caregivers were with the idea that epilepsy caused lost opportunities for study (66.4%) and that epilepsy was looked upon negatively by others (64.5%). Less than half (39.7%) of these caregivers rolled their child on to the side during a seizure, and more than a third (37.2%) admitted to sprinkling water over the child during his/her seizure. Caregivers' of children with Generalized Tonic-Clonic (GTC) convulsions, reported significantly lower knowledge scores than caregivers whose children did not experience GTC seizures (p = 0.016). Caregivers of children with GTC seizures were more likely to believe epilepsy was for the most part hereditary (p = 0.006), and that children with epilepsy lost consciousness during a seizure (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that caregivers require periodic epilepsy-related educational programs. This study is an invaluable tool for tailoring the delivery of information and support resources for caregivers in our region.
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