Further studies of the state of knowledge and attitudes of the rural population toward epilepsy
Majkowski, J.; Smaga, E.; Stepniak, U.
Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska 9(1): 49-56
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-3843 PMID: 1121354 Document Number: 88854
Inquiry investigations were carried out covering 657 individuals from two counties: Plock and Nowy Targ. The inquiry contained 21 questions concerning the knowledge of epilepsy and the attitudes of those questioned to epileptics. The responses were correlated with the sex, age, educational level and occupation of the questioned. Statistical significance was assessed at the confidence level 0.05. The fear of epilepsy was in the 5th place after neoplasms, tuberculosis, cardiac diseases and mental diseases. As the most shameful diseases were regarded venereal diseases, tuberculosis and epilepsy ex aequo with mental diseases. About 1/3 of the respondents answered that epilepsy is a hereditary disease; nearly half of them considered that epileptics may marry and have children. 60% of those questioned regard that they would let their children play with epileptic children, they were usually respondents with medium and higher educational level and representatives of non-agricultural workers. Most respondents stressed the significance of sudden fright in the aetiology of epilepsy and thought that observation of an epileptic seizure may cause epilepsy; the observing subject, especially a child, may be frightened. About 50% of respondents knew nothing of the causes of epilepsy. Over 1/3 of respondents regarded that epileptic children can attend normal schools. Nearly 60% of respondents regard that epileptics can work in certain occupations. The latter view is expressed by younger people below 40 years with high school and college education and representatives of non-agricultural occupations.