Knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to epilepsy among primary and secondary school teachers in the city of Niamey, Niger

Abstract

Objective We aimed firstly to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices about epilepsy among primary and secondary school teachers in the city of Niamey and secondly to formulate targeted sensitization messages for these teachers. Materials and methods A descriptive cross‐sectional survey was carried out among primary and secondary school teachers in the city of Niamey, capital of Niger, using a self‐administered questionnaire including questions related to knowledge, attitudes, and practices about epilepsy. Results One hundred and forty‐five (145) teachers aged 27–69 (mean age: 39.57 ± 8.304 years) had answered the questionnaire (52 men and 93 women). In 62.1% of cases, respondents had a bachelor degree in education signifying a high level of education. Sixty‐one respondents (42.1%) considered epilepsy as a brain disease, whereas it was considered as a psychiatric illness by 15.9% of respondents and as an impurity by 38.9%. Sixteen respondents (11%) considered it as a hereditary disease. Epilepsy was considered as a contagious disease by 46.2% of teachers, and the main transmission routes reported were contact with places of crisis (26.2%), physical contact with an epileptic person (16.6%), and contact with saliva (6.9%). It was considered as an incurable disease by 6.9% of teachers. Of the 115 respondents (79.3%) who considered epilepsy as a treatable condition, 46 of them believe that epilepsy is treated by traditional medicine. When someone has an epileptic seizure, 28.3% of respondents think that physical contact with him should be avoided and that the places of the crisis should be avoided. Conclusion Considering that epilepsy is common in school‐age, the study results suggest the need to train teachers with respect to epilepsy to change misconceptions about epilepsy and to promote positive attitudes toward epileptic people to avoid the rejection of these people by the society responsible for problems of social integration.

<p>Teachers’ Knowledge About Epilepsy and Their Attitudes Toward Students with Epilepsy: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the City of Tahoua (Niger)</p>

“…In the present survey, 41.9% of the respondents considered epilepsy as a contagious disease. These findings are similar to those reported in the surveys conducted in Niamey, 7 and Sakoira 9 in 46.2% and 42%, respectively. Findings lower than ours were reported in an Egyptian study at 1.6%, 3 and an Ethiopian study at 1%.…”

“…5 Negative attitudes towards SCWE come from both their school peers and their school teachers due to their erroneous cultural and religious beliefs about epilepsy such as an incurable and contagious disease. 2,6,7 As reported previously, reducing the social stigma and discrimination associated with epilepsy can help to improve the quality of life of children with epilepsy. 8 Thus, to reduce the social stigma and discrimination associated with epilepsy, it is necessary to study the general knowledge about epilepsy of the actors of the school environment to identify the factors favoring the social stigma and discrimination towards SCWE.…”

Knowledge and attitudes among preschools staff in Shanghai, China, regarding epilepsy

“…However, Ibinga et al reported that 42.8% of the staff in their survey thought that epilepsy could be treated by modern or traditional medicine [15]. In this survey, 17% of the staff in this survey thought that epilepsy is an infectious disease, however, a survey in Niger, epilepsy is considered to be a contagious disease by 46.2% of respondents [19]. This misconception among school teachers has an impact on teachers' attitudes towards children with epilepsy, negative attitudes and beliefs about epilepsy of the school teachers can lead to the expulsion of the child and even the no schooling.…”

“…This misconception among school teachers has an impact on teachers' attitudes towards children with epilepsy, negative attitudes and beliefs about epilepsy of the school teachers can lead to the expulsion of the child and even the no schooling. Besides, some children with epilepsy may be rejected from their peers for fear of being contaminated [19]. The results of this survey indicate that the overall knowledge of staff members about epilepsy is lacking, as evidenced by the low but visible frequency of incorrect responses about how to work with children with epilepsy.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices with Respect to Epilepsy among Nurses in the City of Niamey, Niger

“…Details of the design and protocol have been reported previously. 2 In brief, we conducted a descriptive crosssectional survey among nurses in the city of Niamey, Niger between June and July 2019 to evaluate their knowledge about epilepsy. There are two categories of nurses in Niger:…”