Perception of community regarding common diseases prevailing in the a squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To determine the perceptions of the community about prevalence of different diseases in Gulshan-e- Sikandarabad, an urban squatter settlement in Karachi and compare them with the data about disease pattern available at Primary Health Care Center in the same community. Methods: A stratified random sample of ten percent of houses of the community was selected and both male and female heads of household were interviewed. Open ended questionnaire was used to record perceptions of responders. A total of 336 persons were interviewed out of which 196 (58%) were females and 140 (42%) were males. Results: Age, education, nationality and ethnicity (Sikandarabad has inhabitants from Afghanistan as well. In our study 12 were Afghan nationals. Among Pakistani responders majority were Pathans, some were Punjabi, Saraiki etc.) had no statistically significant difference in responses. Gender had the most significant difference in responses. The perceived nine top most common diseases were similar to the top nine common diseases according to data of the health center of Ziauddin University located in Gulshan-e-Sikandarabad. Conclusion: The perceptions of community members about most of the common diseases prevalent in their community was similar to the disease pattern maintained at Primary Health Care center in the same locality. Anaemia and helminth infestation although common according to the health center record were not perceived as common by the community members.