Abstract:
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders encountered worldwide. It is poorly understood by
the community, and it has been associated with numerous beliefs and misconceptions. Social stigma towards epilepsy is common in developing countries especially in Ethiopia, and its social, economic, and psychological consequences have become a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to assess epilepsy knowledge,
attitude, practice, and associated factors among primary, secondary, and preparatory schoolteachers in LayArmachiho District, Northwest Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted with
568 teachers working in ten schools of the district, using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive analysis,
binary, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to analyze the data. In this study, 52.8% of the
teachers had good knowledge (confidence interval (CI): 48.7, 56.9), 52.1% of the teachers had an unfavorable attitude (CI: 48.0, 56.2), and 55.3% of the teachers had a poor practice towards epilepsy (CI: 51.2, 59.3). After
adjusting for covariates, being a male (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.5), urban resident (AOR = 2.4), degree
holder (AOR = 2.3), above fourteen years teaching experience (AOR = 2.1), family history of epilepsy (AOR =
15.2), and previous first aid training (AOR = 1.8) were positively associated with the knowledge of epilepsy.
The odds of having a positive attitude for epilepsy were 3.1 and 3.4 times higher among the teachers whose
age is above 42 years and degree holders, respectively. Moreover, the odds of having a good practice for epilepsy
were 2.1, 3.5, and 1.7 times higher among teachers of degree holders, a history of previous first aid training, and a
history of providing first aid for students with epilepsy in the time of need, respectively. The main findings indicated that the majority of schoolteachers had good knowledge about, but unfavorable attitude and poor practice
towards epilepsy. Therefore, the authors recommend that incorporating special need course in the educational
curriculum with the help of first aid training and health promotion intervention to all levels of schoolteachers
is very important.
