Abstract
Background: Epilepsy misconceptions are widespread; these influence the quality of life of people living with epilepsy (50 million people worldwide) and their families. Objective: The review’s objective was to highlight the public knowledge and awareness of epilepsy with an emphasis on its impact, gaps, and available guidelines for public awareness. Methods: The search databases included PubMed, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar using keywords, index terms as well as the Boolean search. Twenty-seven studies were included, which yielded three themes and six sub-themes. Results: Three themes emerged from the data: knowledge, beliefs, and awareness of epilepsy, the impact of epilepsy, and epilepsy awareness guide. From these themes, six sub-themes were established. Implications: Generally, people in Africa continue to hold misconceptions about epilepsy. This study shows that there is a need for further research examining the level of knowledge and awareness held in different contexts to develop a means to educate the general public as it has been revealed that there is generally inadequate knowledge and awareness of epilepsy. Furthermore, this study gathers knowledge that is now accessible as a threshold to much-needed research on epilepsy education, awareness and knowledge in Africa.
Highlights
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder worldwide
This study shows that there is a need for further research examining the level of knowledge and awareness held in different contexts to develop a means to educate the general public as it has been revealed that there is generally inadequate knowledge and awareness of epilepsy
This study gathers knowledge that is accessible as a threshold to much-needed research on epilepsy education, awareness and knowledge in Africa
Summary
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder worldwide. It affects over 50 million people irrespective of age, nationality, and ethnicity [1]. Epilepsy has been claimed to be the fourth greatest common neurological disorder [2]. World Health Organization statistics show that 7.6 in 1000 persons have had. The prevalence of epilepsy needs increasing attention from the authors, researchers, health practitioners, and worldwide health institutions to prioritize and invest in its treatment, management, and public awareness. The World Health Assembly in 2018 drew policymakers’ attention to incorporate epilepsy with non-. Epilepsy misconceptions are widespread; these influence the quality of life of people living with epilepsy (50 million people worldwide) and their families
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