Evaluation of physical educators' knowledge about epilepsy

• Autor(a) principal: Vancini, Rodrigo Luiz [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Lira, Claudio Andre Barbosa de [UNIFESP], Silva, Sérgio Gomes da [UNIFESP], Scorza, Fulvio Alexandre [UNIFESP], Silva, Antonio Carlos da [UNIFESP], Vieira, Douglas [UNIFESP], Cavalheiro, Esper Abrão [UNIFESP], Arida, Ricardo Mario [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2010000300007; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/5818
• topic: physical activity; physical education; epilepsy; knowledge; atividade física; educação física; epilepsia; conhecimento

People with epilepsy suffer from a considerable lack of physical activity. In addition, an important problem of epilepsy management is the lack of qualified professionals. In this study we present data from a survey which aimed to assess physical educators' general knowledge about epilepsy. One hundred and thirty four physical educators of both sexes answered a questionnaire. Sixty percent of the professionals believe that a seizure is an abnormal electrical discharge of the brain, 13% that epilepsy is a cerebral chronic disease that can not be cured or controlled, 84% that people having convulsions will not necessarily present epilepsy and 5% that people with epilepsy have difficulties of learning. Questions concerned previous professional experience with epilepsy showed that 61% have seen a seizure and 53% have access to some information about epilepsy. Thus, 28% of professionals have a friend or relative with epilepsy, 14% have a student with epilepsy, and 29% helped someone during seizures. Our findings reveal a lack of physical educators' appropriate knowledge about epilepsy. Improvement of this might contribute to the improvement of epilepsy care/management.