Teachers’ perceptions in central Turkey concerning epilepsy and asthma and the short-term effect of a brief education on the perception of epilepsy

This study was aimed at assessing and comparing schoolteachers’ perceptions of epilepsy and asthma in central Turkey. Two-hundred seventy-five schoolteachers completed a questionnaire on their knowledge, attitudes, and practice. There were 18 pairs of questions on the questionnaire (one question in each pair pertained to epilepsy, and the other to asthma). One month later, following a brief education program on epilepsy, participants completed the epilepsy section of the questionnaire a second time. Among the teachers, initial rates of acceptance of children with epilepsy were significantly lower than the rates for asthma. Children with epilepsy were less encouraged by teachers to play with others and were perceived as more aggressive. More teachers were worried about other parents objecting to having a child with epilepsy in the class. Following the brief education program, there was a significant positive change in the teachers’ perception of epilepsy.