Objective: To identify the level of awareness and living practices of slum dwellers of Islamabad regarding health of their children.
Methodology: Six out of total 24 slums of capital city, Islamabad were selected by using simple random sampling technique. 35 parents from each slum were selected by using purposive sampling method. Interview schedule was used to collect data. Frequency analysis method and likert scale was used to analyze the results.
Results: The awareness level of slum parents was falling at the level "Undecided", which was midpoint of five levels from strongly-1 disagreed to strongly-5 agreed. 93% respondents were not using boiled drinking water. 78% respondent's families did not bother to wash hand before taking meal whereas 56% were not washing hands with soap after using toilet.
Conclusion: Lack of awareness regarding basic health indicators and prevailing unhealthy living practices were found as major causative factors for the poor health of slum children.
Key words: Slum dwellers, children, health, awareness, living practices, Islamabad.
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