CDC Finds Fewer Healthy Behaviors Among People with Epilepsy

Using data from the 2010 National Health Interview survey, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that people with epilepsy are less likely to engage in selected healthy behaviors. While less likely to drink alcohol and as likely to smoke when compared to the general population, only 35% of adults with epilepsy met government recommended guidelines for physical activity and less than 40% of this group reported walking for greater than 10 minutes during the 7 days prior to the survey. Additionally, only half of adults with active epilepsy sleep 7-8 hours per night. As physical activity and sleep have been demonstrated to improve quality of life and seizure control in many patients with epilepsy, this study suggests increased education and support of healthy behaviors should be prioritized as part of primary care for this group.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525505015000189