Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding dengue fever among adults of high and low socioeconomic groups.

Objective: To ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and practices of selected adult population in Pakistan regarding Dengue Fever. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among selected communities with different socio-economic backgrounds in Karachi, Pakistan. A sample size of 440 adults (aged 18 years and above) were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices about dengue fever. A composite scoring system, based on the answers given in the questionnaire, was used to establish the level of awareness in the population. The division of the higher and lower socio-economic groups was based on their income and locality; both these variables were determined as a part of our survey. Results: Data from 400 respondents (244 males, 156 females) was used for primary analysis. About thirty five percent of the sample had adequate knowledge about dengue fever and its vector. Knowledge had significant associations with education (p= 0.004) and socioeconomic status (p=0.02). The high socioeconomic group showed better preventive practices. Conclusion: Knowledge of dengue is inadequate in the low socioeconomic class. Better preventive practices against the vector are prevalent in the high socioeconomic group. Hence, a greater focus should be accorded to the low socioeconomic areas in future health campaigns (JPMA 60:243; 2010). individuals from two groups (high and low socioeconomic status). Different areas with varying socioeconomic backgrounds of Karachi were visited by a team of medical students for the purpose of data collection. The selection of the communities and localities visited for the survey was dependant on a number of factors such as convenience of commute and distance from Aga Khan University Hospital [AKUH] as well as overall accessibility. Consideration was also given to localities where investigators of the project would encounter a large number of people that could be surveyed between 3pm and 9pm at a single locality on any given day. High and low socioeconomic status [SES] was defined on the basis of monthly income ( 50% was categorized as belonging to the high socioeconomic group while people scoring <50% were categorized as belong to low socioeconomic group. This strategy was used because a single variable can't accurately illustrate an individual's socioeconomic status. A sample size of 440 was calculated at 95% confidence interval, 5% sample error, 15% nonresponse rate and assumption of 50% knowledge and attitudes prevalence. Convenience sampling was used to draw the sample. All consenting individuals aged 18 years and above encountered in the aforementioned areas between 3 pm to 9 pm were interviewed using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire. This questionnaire was thoroughly discussed beforehand to minimize interviewer bias. Informed consent (verbal or written) was taken from all the respondents and confidentiality was ensured throughout the study. The questionnaire and consent forms were translated into Urdu for the ease of the respondents. Data was entered twice and analyzed using SPSS v. 16.0. Descriptive statistics for the collected data were recorded. Associations were assessed using Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. The study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee as well as the Department of Community Health Sciences, AKUH, Karachi.