Lifestyle Behavioral Interventions and Health-Related Outcomes Among People with Epilepsy: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objective

To gather and assess current literature on the prevalence and efficacy of lifestyle behavioral interventions (sleep, nutrition, physical activity) for health outcomes, including QOL, psychological well-being, behavioral changes, and seizure frequency, among PWE.

Data Source

A review was conducted of English-language articles identified from PubMed, Scopus, and Embase between January 2013 to January 2023.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCT) with human subjects diagnosed with epilepsy who participated in a lifestyle behavioral intervention.

Data Extraction

Two researchers independently completed the title, abstract, and full-text reviews. Information extracted includes study population, duration, type of intervention, findings, and outcomes.

Data Synthesis

Data was narratively synthesized to show level of evidence and degree of consistency in findings. Results: 4001 studies identified, 66 full texts reviewed, and 24 included. A majority (n = 16) of studies utilized diet specific RCTs, and some focused on physical activity (n = 7) and sleep (n = 1). Diet-specific RCTs (eg, ketogenic, Modified Atkins) reported reduced seizure frequency with adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal complications. Physical activity-based interventions found that maintained levels of exercise improved QOL and psychological well-being. However, physical activity and diet-based interventions did not have lasting effects after study conclusion. Only the behavioral sleep intervention reported that sleep quality improved significantly and was maintained post-intervention.

Conclusion

Future research is needed to establish the relationship between lifestyle behavioral interventions on QOL and other health outcomes (eg, seizure frequency).