Ndour D, Diop A G, Ndiaye M, Niang C, Sarr M M, Ndiaye I P
Clinique Neurologique, CHU Fann, Dakar, Sénégal.
Rev Neurol (Paris). 2004 Mar;160(3):338-41. doi: 10.1016/s0035-3787(04)70909-1.
Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders encountered in children of developing countries. In Senegal, as in many other African countries, the disease is enrobed in superstition, discrimination, and stigma. There is a clear-cut lack of information programs in the developing world about seizures and epilepsy. Academic achievement of children with epilepsy is hampered by social barriers in addition to the burden of the disease and its treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate teachers'knowledge, awareness, and current attitudes about epilepsy in order to obtain baseline data for the development of a school health education program on epilepsy. The study was carried out in Dakar. It was conducted by sending self-administered and anonymous questionnaires to 400 elementary school teachers; the data were randomly mapped, stratified, and chosen to produce a statistically representative sample of the teacher population of Dakar. The questionnaires contained 22 items related to knowledge of epilepsy, the attitude of teachers towards epilepsy, and their ability to provide first aid in case of seizures. A total of 373 teachers (93p.cent) completed the questionnaires. For 69p.cent, epilepsy arises in the brain, for 28.7p.cent it is a subnatural affliction. Epilepsy was considered to be contagious for 24p.cent and could be cured for 73p.cent. Although 66p.cent would help an epileptic pupil during a seizure, 53p.cent mentioned harmful measures. Eighty-four percent noticed that an epileptic child could go to a normal classroom, while 62.5p.cent would prefer a special school. Eighty-four percent said their knowledge on epilepsy was not sufficient and the majority (99p.cent) desired training on epilepsy. For 25.7p.cent, better collaboration between parents, doctors, and teachers would b helpful to achieve better management of epileptic children. This study demonstrated encouraging knowledge of teachers about epilepsy. However, some of their wrong attitudes may be attributed to superstitions and could be improved by informative actions and better training about epilepsy. Such education might be provided by local health professionals with the collaboration of parents, teachers, and non-governmental organizations.
癫痫是发展中国家儿童中最常见的疾病之一。在塞内加尔，和许多其他非洲国家一样，这种疾病笼罩在迷信、歧视和污名之中。发展中国家明显缺乏关于癫痫发作和癫痫的宣传项目。除了疾病及其治疗负担外，社会障碍也阻碍了癫痫儿童的学业成绩。本研究的目的是评估教师对癫痫的知识、认识和当前态度，以便为制定癫痫学校健康教育项目获取基线数据。该研究在达喀尔进行。通过向400名小学教师发放自行填写的匿名问卷来开展；数据经过随机映射、分层和选取，以产生达喀尔教师群体具有统计学代表性的样本。问卷包含22个与癫痫知识、教师对癫痫的态度以及他们在癫痫发作时提供急救的能力相关的项目。共有373名教师（93%）完成了问卷。69%的教师认为癫痫起源于大脑，28.7%的教师认为这是一种超自然的折磨。24%的教师认为癫痫具有传染性，73%的教师认为可以治愈。虽然66%的教师会在癫痫发作时帮助癫痫学生，但53%的教师提到了有害措施。84%的教师注意到癫痫儿童可以去普通教室，而62.5%的教师更喜欢特殊学校。84%的教师表示他们对癫痫的知识不足，大多数（99%）希望接受癫痫方面的培训。25.7%的教师认为家长、医生和教师之间更好的合作有助于更好地管理癫痫儿童。这项研究表明教师对癫痫有令人鼓舞的认识。然而，他们的一些错误态度可能归因于迷信，可以通过宣传行动和更好的癫痫培训来改善。这种教育可以由当地卫生专业人员在家长、教师和非政府组织的合作下提供。
