Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Dengue Fever among the Communities Living in Slums of Islamabad, Pakistan; A Cross-sectional Survey

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 457 respondents to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding dengue in the two selected slums of Islamabad. Convenient sampling technique was applied to select one adult per household using a previously validated questionnaire. The knowledge of dengue vector, transmission, and symptoms was sub-optimal in the target communities, however they showed better awareness on breeding sites and mosquito prevention methods. Most of the respondents (90.4%) have heard of dengue disease. More than half (61.1%) knew that dengue is caused by mosquito, but only 15.3% knew that Aedes mosquito causes dengue fever. Nearly half (46.6%) of them incorrectly believed that dengue mosquito bites during the nighttime. Multivariate model revealed education as main predictor of knowledge regarding dengue transmission. Based on the total attitude score, 49.7% of respondents have good attitudes towards dengue disease, while 50.3% of them have moderate to poor attitudes. Gender and occupation were main predictors of good attitudes towards dengue where females had 76% higher odds and employed respondents had two times the odds of having good attitudes towards dengue disease