Assess Awareness and Attitude among care givers of epileptic patients in Najran region, Saudi Arabia

There are several conflicting beliefs about epilepsy and public awareness about 
epilepsy that vary widely among the caregivers. The aim: was to assess awareness 
and attitude about epilepsy among epileptic caregivers in Najran region. Design: This 
cross-sectional, descriptive, community-based study Subject and setting: purposive 
sample was used to include 604 care givers of epileptic patients. Data Collection 
methods:  socio-demographic questionnaire, epileptic knowledge questionnaire and 
attitude scale regarding epilepsy. Results: the current study revealed that 47.9% had 
satisfactory awareness while 61.2% had a positive attitude toward epilepsy. The main 
source of information was social media followed by T.V. There was also a statistical 
association between age, educational levels and occupation with the awareness level 
of epilepsy. There was significant positive correlation between total score of 
awareness and the total score of attitude where R .68 &P 0.0001. Conclusion: the 
current study revealed that the level of awareness was relatively low among the 
studied sample while about two thirds of them had positive attitude regarding 
epilepsy. The attitude score was influenced by age, educational level, occupation and 
the awareness. Recommendations: Public health education programs about epilepsy 
and modify misconceptions and to promote positive attitudes must be applied.