Caregivers’ and Family Members’ Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (KAP) towards Epilepsy in Rural Limpopo and Mpumalanga, South Africa

Ofhani Prudance Musekwa (), Lufuno Makhado and Angelina Maphula
Additional contact information
Ofhani Prudance Musekwa: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
Lufuno Makhado: Faculty Deans Office, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
Angelina Maphula: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Epilepsy, a common neurological disease, has a significant impact on people living with epilepsy (PLWE), their caregivers, and their family members. Research has consistently shown that the quality of life of PLWE is low. To expand on this knowledge, a non-experimental quantitative survey study was conducted to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of caregivers and family members towards epilepsy and epilepsy-related seizures. The study sample consisted of 519 participants from two South African provinces (Limpopo and Mpumalanga), mostly aged 26–35 years. The study revealed that most respondents in Limpopo had no formal education, whereas in Mpumalanga, most had a secondary education. Most respondents (32.4%) reported always using a spoon to prevent tongue biting during seizures. However, 62.4% of respondents reported feeling unprepared to handle an epileptic seizure. Additionally, the majority (54.7%) showed a moderate level of knowledge about epilepsy. Many respondents had a negative attitude towards epilepsy, and there was uncertainty about proper practices during a seizure. In summary, the research highlights unsatisfactory knowledge and practices towards epilepsy and emphasizes the need for increased education and awareness among caregivers and family members. Significant educational investment is needed from medical services to improve epilepsy care, knowledge, and attitudes.

Keywords: attitude; caregiver; epilepsy; family member; knowledge; practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5222/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5222/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:5222-:d:1104416

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().