Demographic information
A total of 1069 subjects fully completed the questionnaire. Fifty-six subjects did not complete the questionnaire. The sample included 1051 women (98.3%) and 18 men (1.7%). The average age of staff members was 40.1±8.2 years. Teachers with health-care training accounted for 18.1% of the sample, and teachers without health-care training accounted for 81.9%. Of all participants, 82.3% had a bachelor’s degree or above, while 17.7% had attended only high school or below. Three percent of the staff had in medical-related degrees, and 57.3% majored in preschool education. Of the total sample, 29.5% had less than 10 years of teaching experience, 59.4% had more than 10 years but less than 30 years of teaching experience, and 11.1% had more than 30 years of teaching experience. The demographic characteristics of the staff are listed in Table 1.
Table 1 Demographic characteristics of the staff members (N=1069)
Characteristics
|
*N (%)
|
Kindergarten category
|
|
Public
|
847 (79.2%)
|
Other
|
222 (20.8%)
|
Staff member’s highest education level
|
|
High school or below
|
189 (17.7%)
|
College or above
|
880 (82.3%)
|
Staff categories
|
|
Had health-care training
|
193 (18.1%)
|
Did not have health-care training
|
876 (81.9%)
|
Teaching (years)
|
|
<10
|
315 (29.5%)
|
10-30
|
635 (59.4%)
|
>30
|
119 (11.1%)
|
Major
|
|
Medical related
|
33 (3.0%)
|
Preschool education
|
612 (57.3%)
|
Other
|
424 (39.7%)
|
*N denotes the number of valid answers
Familiarity with epilepsy
Of the 1069 staff members who participated in the survey, 65.8% reported that they had heard about epilepsy, and 34.2% reported that they had never heard of epilepsy. Among the former group, only 36.2% knew about epilepsy because they had attended relevant training, 27.9% learned about it through public media and 13.9% had heard other people talking about it. In this survey, only 29.4% of the staff members had seen seizures, either in other adults or in preschool children, 18.9% of the staff had experience teaching children with epilepsy, and 17.6% of the staff had experience providing first aid during seizures, as seen in Table 2.
Table 2 Familiarity with epilepsy (N=1069)
Item
|
*N (%)
|
*N (%)
|
|
Yes
|
No
|
Had received epilepsy-related
information or training
|
705
(65.8%)
|
366
(34.2%)
|
Source of the information
|
|
|
Self-study
|
86
(8.1%)
|
983
(91.8%)
|
Public media
|
298
(27.9%)
|
771
(72.1%)
|
Doctors
|
71
(6.6%)
|
998
(93.4%)
|
Parents of children with epilepsy
|
78
(7.3%)
|
991
(92.7%)
|
In conversation
|
149
(13.9%)
|
920
(86.1%)
|
Attended relevant training
|
387
(36.2%)
|
682
(63.8%)
|
Had seen someone have a seizure previously
|
314
(29.4%)
|
755
(70.6%)
|
Experience with teaching a child with epilepsy
|
202
(18.9%)
|
867
(81.1%)
|
Experience with applying first-aid for seizures
|
188
(17.6%)
|
881
(82.4%)
|
*N denotes the number of valid answers
Knowledge of epilepsy
None of the staff members surveyed answered all questions correctly. Regarding general knowledge about epilepsy, 17% of the staff considered epilepsy to be an infectious disease, and the difference between the answers of teachers with health-care training (12.8%) and teachers without health-care training (4.2%) was statistically significant (χ2 =5.060, p=0.029). A total of 69.3% of the staff members considered epilepsy to be a chronic brain disease and believed that it cannot be cured or controlled with medication (17% among teachers with health-care training, 52.3% among teachers without health-care training, χ2 =2.204, p=0.138).
The subjects lacked knowledge regarding first aid for seizures. When seeing children having seizures, only 17.6% of teachers knew how to provide appropriate first aid (31.6% of all teachers with health-care training, 14.5% of all teachers without health-care training, χ2=31.848, p<0.001). Correct responses regarding first aid for seizures, such as laying the person on his or her side (24.9% in total; 44.0% of teachers with health-care training, 42.7% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =45.684, p<0.001), moving harmful objects out of the way (20.7% in total; 30.6% of teachers with health-care training, 18.6% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =13.755, p<0.001), protecting the head (36.1% in total; 48.2% of teachers with health-care training, 33.6% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =16.646, p<0.001), waiting until the seizure ends (7.9% in total; 12.4% of teachers with health-care training, 6.8% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =6.816, p=0.009), and dialing the emergency number (40.1% in total; 46.1% of teachers with health-care training, 39.4% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =2.971, p=0.085) were low. There is no statistically significant difference in the level of epilepsy knowledge between urban and suburban staff. But there was a significant difference in the accuracy of first-aid knowledge between teachers with health-care training and teachers without health-care training. Most of the staff said they would apply first-aid techniques, but the techniques they selected were inappropriate, such as placing something in the person’s mouth (69% in total; 61.1% of teachers with health-care training, 70.8% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =6.870, p=0.009) and attempting to adjust cramped limbs (9.8% in total; 9.8% of teachers with health-care training, 8.4% of teachers without health-care training, χ2 =0.389, p=0.533), seen in Table 3.
Table 3 General and first-aid knowledge about epilepsy (N=1069)
Item
|
Teachers
With
healthcare
training
*N (%)
(N=193)
|
Other
*N (%)
(N=876)
|
Total.
*N (%)
(N=1069)
|
Chi-square
test value
|
p
|
General knowledge about epilepsy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epilepsy is an infectious disease
|
45
(23.3%)
|
137
(15.6%)
|
182
(17%)
|
5.060
|
0.029
|
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease and
cannot be cured or controlled
|
117
(57.9%)
|
452
(52.1%)
|
569
(69.3%)
|
2.204
|
0.138
|
Accuracy of knowledge of first-aid for
seizures
|
|
|
|
|
|
Have experience applying first-aid for
seizures
|
61
(31.6%)
|
127
(14.5%)
|
188
(17.6%)
|
31.848
|
<0.001
|
Correct
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lay the child on his or her side
|
85
(44.0%)
|
182
(20.8%)
|
266
(24.9%)
|
45.684
|
<0.001
|
Move harmful objects out of the way
|
59
(30.6%)
|
163
(18.6%)
|
221
(20.7%)
|
13.755
|
<0.001
|
Protect the child’s head
|
93
(48.2%)
|
294
(33.6%)
|
386
(36.1%)
|
16.646
|
<0.001
|
Wait until the seizure ends
|
24
(12.4%)
|
60
(6.8%)
|
84
(7.9%)
|
6.816
|
0.009
|
Administer related medicines
|
8
(4.1%)
|
34
(3.9%)
|
42
(3.9%)
|
0.029
|
0.864
|
Dial the 120 emergency number
|
89
(46.1%)
|
345
(39.4%)
|
433
(40.1%)
|
2.971
|
0.085
|
Incorrect
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pull the child’s tongue
|
7
(3.6%)
|
26
(3.0%)
|
33
(3.1%)
|
0.230
|
0.632
|
Adjust cramped limbs
|
19
(9.8%)
|
74
(8.4%)
|
93
(8.7%)
|
0.389
|
0.533
|
Put something in the child’s mouth
|
118
(61.1%)
|
620
(70.8%)
|
738
(69%)
|
6.870
|
0.009
|
*N denotes the number of valid answers
Attitudes towards epilepsy
The staff have different attitudes towards children with epilepsy. Most of the staff members had a positive attitude towards children with epilepsy: 70.1% believed that seizures are not dangerous for other children, 63.7% let their children play or survey with children with epilepsy, and 81.7% agreed that children with epilepsy can attend public school. However, some staff members had negative attitudes towards children with epilepsy: 70.8% of the staff members were afraid to have children with epilepsy in their classroom, 40.9% of the staff members thought that they should restrict the activities of children with epilepsy, and 48.8% of the staff members agreed that placing children with epilepsy in a dedicated classroom is advisable, as seen Table 4.
Table 4 Attitude toward epilepsy (N=1069)
Item
|
N* (%)
|
N* (%)
|
Attitude
|
Yes
|
No
|
Positive
|
|
|
Would let their child play or study with children with epilepsy
|
681 (63.7%)
|
388 (36.3%)
|
Most children with epilepsy can attend public school
|
873 (81.7%)
|
196 (18.3%)
|
Seizures are not dangerous for other children
|
749 (70.1%)
|
320 (29.9%)
|
Negative
|
|
|
Would restrict the activities of children with epilepsy
|
437 (40.9%)
|
632 (59.1%)
|
Afraid having children with epilepsy in their classroom
|
757 (70.8%)
|
312 (29.2%)
|
Children with epilepsy should be placed in a dedicated classroom
|
522(48.8%)
|
547(51.2%)
|
*N denotes the number of valid answers