Overview

Abstract (English)

Previous studies have indicated that people with epilepsy (PWE) are more likely to smoke cigarettes and less likely to engage in physical activity or consume fruits and vegetables. It is unknown whether improvements have occurred following updated guidelines and public health interventions. This project aimed to explore patterns of health related behaviors (HRBs) such as smoking and physical activity in Canadians with epilepsy and examine whether behaviors have changed over time using data from a series of five national population-based surveys spanning from 2001 to 2011. In total, 522,722 Canadians were included in the dataset, including 3,220 PWE. The proportion of PWE who did not participate in any physical activity decreased over time (2001=17.2%, 2010/2011=8.5%), as did the proportion of PWE who currently smoked (2001=32.3%, 2010/2011=18.0%). However, fruit and vegetable consumption was consistently inadequate among PWE. Physicians should continue to counsel epilepsy patients on the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.

Abstract (French)

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