General public awareness, perceptions, and attitudes with respect to epilepsy in the Akwaya Health District, South-West Region, Cameroon

Background: This study was part of a series mandated by the Ministry of Public Health's National Epilepsy Control Program to obtain baseline data for a community-adapted epilepsy education program. Methods: We conducted 387 face-to-face interviews with subjects without epilepsy aged 15 years and above in 12 villages of the Akwaya Health District, Cameroon. Results: Most respondents (97.9%) had heard or read about epilepsy, 90.2% knew someone with epilepsy, and 90.4% had witnessed a seizure. About 51.4% would object to association with people with epilepsy (PWE), 68.7% would object to marriage to PWE, while 41.6% would offer them equal employment. For treatment, 30.2% would suggest going to a traditional healer or witch doctor, while 3.9% would not recommend any treatment at all. Predictors of attitudes were male gender, low or no level of education, having children, knowledge of the cause of epilepsy, and beliefs that epilepsy is contagious or is a form of insanity. Conclusion: The high level of public awareness on epilepsy in the Akwaya Health District may suggest a high prevalence. This contrasts with prevailing negative attitudes. Our data provide new evidence for our hypothesis of regional variation in the determinants of epilepsy stigma in Cameroon. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.