INTRODUCTION: Epilepsy affects approximately 2% of the world population and there is scarce public divulgation about it. This subject needs to be presented to the community, especially in schools, where children stay most of their time. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge about epilepsy of Elementary Public School Teachers in Guaianases, one of the poorest districts in the suburbs of São Paulo city, using a questionnaire in the project "Epilepsy at school and the action of the teacher" of the Associação Brasileira de Epilepsia (ABE). METHODS: The questionnaire was developed by ABE and concerns: concepts and definition of epilepsy and its causes; adverse effects of antiepileptic medication; activities of people with epilepsy; and finally, first-aid during an epileptic seizure. The questionnaire with 21 questions was presented before the lecture "Epilepsy for teachers" (phase 1) and 2 months afterwards (phase 2). RESULTS: Over 70% of the surveyed teachers gave correct answers in 13 out of 21 questions in phase 1, and in 17 of 21 questions in phase 2. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that teachers of a school of the poorest regions of São Paulo city had basic knowledge about epilepsy, which could be increased after the specific lecture of the Associação Brasileira de Epilepsia.
epilepsy; teacher; teaching; education
