Health status and behavioral risk factors among persons with epilepsy in Ohio based on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

In 2006, Ohio added questions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s yearly Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey to assess epilepsy prevalence. Ninety-seven of 5506 respondents reported a history of epilepsy, yielding a weight-adjusted prevalence rate of 1.48% (95% CI = 0.9–2.1), which is supportive of previous state-based epidemiology estimates. Persons with a history of epilepsy report double the rate of cigarette smoking than the population without epilepsy. Persons with both active epilepsy and a history of epilepsy report poor physical and mental health. Health screening behaviors were comparable to or higher than those of the population without epilepsy. Data from previous BRFSS surveys are used to identify major risk factor trends, as well as to explore the health promotion implications for people with epilepsy. Assessments reveal a need for smoking cessation and increased physical activity for persons with a history of epilepsy in Ohio.