Prevalence of epilepsy and health status of adults with epilepsy in Georgia and Tennessee: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002

Behavioral risk factors associated with comorbidity in people with epilepsy are largely unknown. We studied a population-based sample of 8057 adults through the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in Georgia and Tennessee, ascertaining a lifetime epilepsy prevalence of 2.1% in this popu...

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Published inEpilepsy & behavior Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 358 - 366
Main Authors Kobau, Rosemarie, DiIorio, Colleen A., Price, Patricia H., Thurman, David J., Martin, Linda M., Ridings, David L., Henry, Thomas R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2004
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Epilepsy
Epilepsy - epidemiology
Epilepsy - psychology
Female
Georgia - epidemiology
Health outcomes
Health Status
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Obesity
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Seizure
Smoking
Socioeconomic Factors
Tennessee - epidemiology
Tennessee
Georgia
Obesity
Health outcomes
Seizure
Comorbidity
Epilepsy
Smoking
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Summary:Behavioral risk factors associated with comorbidity in people with epilepsy are largely unknown. We studied a population-based sample of 8057 adults through the 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in Georgia and Tennessee, ascertaining a lifetime epilepsy prevalence of 2.1% in this population. This structured interview revealed that those with epilepsy had significantly worse self-reported fair or poor health status (39% vs 17% in adults without epilepsy), significantly greater cigarette smoking (38.8% vs 24.9% in other adults), and high rates of obesity (34.1% vs 23.7% in adults without epilepsy). Large percentages of adults with epilepsy reported currently symptomatic asthma and recent joint pain. Adults with epilepsy had lower educational attainment and lower household incomes, but a higher rate of medical insurance coverage, than did other adults. This type of population-based survey can serve to identify health disparities, behavioral risk factors for other chronic diseases, and unmet health care needs in individuals with epilepsy, and to track changes in these measures over time.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1525-5050
1525-5069
DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2004.02.007