Knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy and first aid for seizures in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is one of the common disorders in Saudi Arabia, and the stigma associated with it is influenced by poor awareness regarding the disease in the general community. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the community-level general knowledge of epilepsy and first aid for seizures in relation to sociodemographic characteristics and assess the attitude toward epileptic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire survey among adults in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia, in 2021. Results: Among the 391 participants, 66.8% were 18-30 years old, and 70.8% were females. Among these, 23.5% had good general knowledge about epilepsy, while 29.7% had good knowledge about first aid for seizures. An educational level of diploma/higher, working or studying in the medical field, and lack of seizure experience were significantly associated with good general knowledge about epilepsy and first aid for seizures. Female sex was associated with good knowledge of seizure first aid. However, 41.2% of the participants were not aware of the safety aspects of the COVID-19 vaccine for epileptic patients. Conclusion: Overall knowledge of epilepsy and first aid for seizures was suboptimal among most participants. Many participants did not know much about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for patients with epilepsy. The knowledge level on epilepsy and its first aid differed significantly across different types of occupation, education levels, and sex.