Employment status as a major determinant for lower physical activity of patients with epilepsy: A case-control study

Abstract Background People with epilepsy (PWE) may have a sedentary lifestyle and less physical activity (PA) as they are often advised against engaging in sports, despite a plethora of evidence suggesting seizure control, major health and psychosocial benefits associated with PA. We aimed to investigate PWE’s beliefs on PA and their level of PA compared to controls. Methods The Baecke questionnaire for measuring habitual PA in adults, comprising three domains (occupational PA, leisure, and locomotion), was applied in 97 consecutive PWE (96.9% with focal epilepsy, 39.2% well controlled with pharmacological treatment) and 45 healthy controls matched for gender, age, and socioeconomic characteristics. Results The total Baecke score was significantly lower in PWE than controls (7.6 ± 1.5 versus 8.2 ± 1.2; p  Conclusion The level of PA in PWE is only slightly lower than in controls (8% lower score) and it may be explained by lower occupational PA, probably related to lower employment rate among PWE.