Abstracts

To determine (a) if children and teens with epilepsy participate in less physical activity and have higher body mass index (BMI) percentiles for age than their non-epileptic siblings and (b) what epilepsy-specific factors limit their participation., Patients 5-17 years, with a [underline][gt][/underline]3 month history of epilepsy, a development quotient [underline][gt][/underline]80, no major motor or sensory impairments, and at least one non-epileptic sibling in a similar age range, were identified from the neurology clinic database or at the time of clinic visit. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding sedentary activities and group, individual and total sports activities. Children aged 11-15 years also completed the physical activity portion of the Health Behavior in School Aged Children questionnaire. Clinic charts were reviewed for seizure type, etiology, frequency, duration of epilepsy and number of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) ever taken., Teens with epilepsy participated in less group and total sports activities than controls and were more likely to be potentially overweight or overweight. Receiving three or more AEDs in the past showed a significant negative correlation with sports participation. While there was a trend for those with higher seizure frequency to be less active, no other epilepsy specific factors nor prior seizures or seizure-related injury during a sports event correlated with participation in physical activity., Programs that promote exercise in adolescents with epilepsy should be encouraged to improve their physical, psychological, and social well-being.,