1. KNOWLEDGE AND OPINIONS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN ABOUT EPILEPSY.
- Author
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Jajić, Slađana, Vila, Ana, Ivanović, Sunčica, and Nikolić, Svetlana
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EPILEPSY , *CHILD research , *BRAIN physiology , *INSOMNIA , *SYMPTOMS - Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the earliest diseases of the mankind, and is referred to as paroxysmal and transitory disturbance of brain function that is developing rapidly and has a tendency to recur. The aim of the paper was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of students in the eighth grade related to epilepsy. The study was conducted in March-April 2010. The survey comprised 193 eighth-grade students of both sexes. The study included children from the City of Novi Sad and two suburbs of the four elementary schools: "Ivo Lola Ribar" and "Attila Jožeg" from Novi Sad, "Ðura Jakšic" from Kac and "Jovan Ducic" from Petrovaradin. The majority of students (98.4%) had the knowledge about epilepsy. Half of the respondents had heard of it on television and one quarter from parents or in school. As a trigger of epileptic attacks, students usually mention insomnia (47.1%) and food deficiency (19.5%). The most typical symptoms students described were foaming at the mouth, sudden loss of consciousness and convulsions. For most students (84.4%), epilepsy is considered an organic disease; one-third of respondents (34.4%) considered epilepsy curable disease. The results indicate that students have the basic eighth-grade level of knowledge about epilepsy, including the fact that most of them (71.1%) believe that a child with epilepsy can play and socialize with their peers. Acta Medica Medianae 2013;52(4):15- 20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
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