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Impact of Epilepsy Education on Epilepsy First-Aid Knowledge among Secondary School Teachers in Nigeria

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that can affect individuals across different age groups, including school-age children and adolescents. Seizures may occur unexpectedly in school environments, making teachers' knowledge of appropriate first-aid responses important for protecting affected students from injury and ensuring timely access to appropriate medical care. Epilepsy education provides secondary school teachers with information about epilepsy, common seizure types, seizure warning signs, appropriate first-aid responses, actions that should be avoided during seizures, injury prevention, post-seizure care, emergency warning signs, and appropriate referral to healthcare professionals. Epilepsy first-aid knowledge refers to teachers' understanding of the correct actions to take before, during, and after a seizure, including ensuring safety, protecting the person from injury, positioning the individual appropriately after the seizure, timing prolonged seizures, avoiding harmful practices, recognizing emergencies, and seeking appropriate medical assistance. In Nigeria, inadequate epilepsy first-aid knowledge among secondary school teachers may contribute to inappropriate responses, unnecessary injuries, stigma, fear, and delayed medical attention for students experiencing seizures. Effective epilepsy education may improve teachers' knowledge and confidence in responding appropriately to seizure emergencies within the school environment. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of epilepsy education on epilepsy first-aid knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model provides a framework for understanding teachers' responses to students experiencing seizures through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits of appropriate first aid, perceived barriers, and cues to action. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, observational learning, social influences, and the school environment in shaping teachers' emergency-response behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how epilepsy education may improve teachers' knowledge and attitudes and strengthen their ability to respond appropriately to seizures. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how epilepsy education may influence epilepsy first-aid knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from teachers in selected public and private secondary schools in Nigeria using a structured self-administered questionnaire and an epilepsy first-aid knowledge assessment instrument. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, schools, and eligible secondary school teachers. Where feasible, selected schools or teacher groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Teachers in the intervention group will receive structured epilepsy education covering the meaning and causes of epilepsy, common seizure types, seizure recognition, appropriate first-aid procedures, injury prevention, actions to avoid during seizures, post-seizure care, emergency warning signs, seizure duration and emergency response, and appropriate referral pathways. Epilepsy first-aid knowledge will be assessed using indicators covering recognition of seizures, correct positioning, protection from injury, timing of seizures, appropriate emergency actions, post-seizure care, actions that should be avoided, and recognition of situations requiring urgent medical attention. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize teachers' sociodemographic and professional characteristics, previous exposure to epilepsy education, teaching experience, and epilepsy first-aid knowledge scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the impact of epilepsy education on teachers' first-aid knowledge. Where appropriate, knowledge scores before and after the intervention will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that epilepsy education has a significant positive impact on epilepsy first-aid knowledge among secondary school teachers in Nigeria. Teachers exposed to structured epilepsy education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of seizure recognition and appropriate first-aid procedures. Education may improve teachers' understanding of the importance of protecting students from injury, positioning them appropriately after seizures, avoiding harmful practices such as restraining the person or placing objects in the mouth, monitoring seizure duration, recognizing prolonged or dangerous seizures, and seeking appropriate emergency medical assistance. Scenario-based education and practical demonstrations are expected to strengthen teachers' confidence and ability to respond appropriately during seizure emergencies. The intervention may also improve teachers' understanding of epilepsy and help reduce misconceptions and stigma associated with the condition. However, education alone may not guarantee effective emergency response because schools may continue to experience limited access to healthcare professionals, inadequate emergency procedures, insufficient first-aid resources, and weak school-health referral systems. Consequently, epilepsy education may be most effective when supported by school emergency-response protocols, accessible first-aid resources, teacher refresher training, school counselling services, and collaboration between schools, families, and healthcare professionals. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on epilepsy education, seizure first aid, teacher health education, school health, neurological health, adolescent health, emergency preparedness, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the impact of epilepsy education on first-aid knowledge among secondary school teachers. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, state ministries of health and education, secondary schools, school health programmes, teacher-training institutions, neurologists, healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, health educators, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving seizure-related emergency preparedness in schools. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating epilepsy education into teacher-training and professional-development programmes, strengthening school-based emergency-response systems, improving teacher knowledge of seizure first aid, reducing epilepsy-related stigma, establishing appropriate referral pathways, and promoting safer and more supportive school environments for students living with epilepsy in Nigeria.

Keywords: Epilepsy education, epilepsy first-aid knowledge, secondary school teachers, Nigeria, seizure first aid, epilepsy awareness, school health, teacher training, neurological health, emergency preparedness, adolescent health, health education, epilepsy management, public health.