ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Epilepsy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1629227
Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitudes Toward Epilepsy in Palestine; A Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
- Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
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Background: Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder that remains misunderstood and stigmatized, particularly in resource-constrained settings like Palestine. Misconceptions may hinder diagnosis, treatment, and social inclusion.Objective: To assess knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward epilepsy in the Palestinian population and identify sociodemographic predictors.A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and April 2025 using an online, self-administered questionnaire. A total of 570 adults (aged 18-65) participated. Scores for knowledge (0-16), awareness (0-10), and attitude (0-28) were calculated and categorized as "good" or "positive" using predefined cutoffs. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression identified significant predictors.Results: Among the 570 participants, 297 (52.1%) had good knowledge, 282 (49.5%) had good awareness, and 471 (82.5%) held positive attitudes toward people with epilepsy. Higher education, especially postgraduate, was the strongest predictor of all three outcomes. For example, postgraduate education was associated with significantly greater odds of favorable awareness (OR = 5.60) and positive attitude (OR = 4.38). Male gender was independently associated with lower awareness (OR = 0.59).While knowledge and awareness remain moderate, attitudes toward people with epilepsy in Palestine are broadly supportive. Educational level is a consistent determinant of improved epilepsy literacy. Targeted public health interventions, especially for men and those with less formal education, can build on existing social acceptance to reduce stigma and promote better care.
Keywords: Epilepsy, Knowledge and attitudes, neurological disorders, public awareness, Cross-sectional study, Palestine
Received: 15 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Amro, Assi, AbuJwa'id, Deeb, Awwad and Odeh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alhareth M. Amro, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
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