Disease Awareness and Dietary Habits in Patients with Epilepsy in Western China: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract number :
V.103
Submission category :
13. Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1826753
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/9/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:56 AM
Authors :
Qi Zhang, BS - West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Nanya Hao - Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Enzhi Li - Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, West China School of Nursing, Sichuan UniversitySichuan University; Wenjing Li - Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Outpatient Department, West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Bo Yan - Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Xiaoting Hao - Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University
Rationale: Background-Optimal management of epilepsy includes education and active engagement with patients about the disease, treatment and diet.
Objective-To investigate the awareness of Chinese patients about epilepsy and to understand their dietary habits.
Methods: Design-This was a cross-sectional survey-based cohort study from 01 Oct 2019 to 29 Feb 2020. A self-reported questionnaire (Cronbach’s α= 0.758), consisting of 3 parts, was sent to 407 patients with epilepsy. The questionnaire included demographic characteristic, epilepsy features, awareness of epilepsy treatment and dietary habits.
Data source-We invited a consecutive sample of patients treated in a single Epilepsy Center from 01 October 2019 to 29 February 2020 to participate.
Results: About half of patients (53.8%, 219/407) thought epilepsy was curable and only 80% knew that the first choice of treatment was medication. While 58.6% of patients with low educational level preferred the use of antiepileptic drugs (p=0.014), 52.7% believed that should not stop taking them immediately after seizure control (p=0.026), especially after surgery (40.5%, p=0.011). Patients with lower monthly household incomes showed less awareness about the use of antiepileptic drugs than patients with higher incomes: only 39.2% with lower incomes thought that the drugs could be stopped after epilepsy surgery, compared to 51.6% with higher incomes; 49.8% of those with lower incomes thought that the drugs could be stopped after seizure control, compared to 66.1% with higher incomes. Patients identified alcohol (86.2%), caffeine (56.8%) and strong tea (49.1%) as the top three foods to avoid to prevent seizures. Approximately 30.2% of patients identified at least one kind of food that made them susceptible to seizures.
Conclusions: Epilepsy education about the disease, antiepileptic drugs and diet for the management of seizures in Western China should focus on patients with less education, lower income or inaccurate beliefs of epilepsy.
Funding: Please list any funding that was received in support of this abstract.: This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China [grant numbers 2017YFC0907702 and 2017YFC0907705].
Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)