Objective:To assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in the general population of Bin Qasim Town (BQ), Karachi.Methods:An observational, cross-sectional study was approved by Research Ethical Committee of Al-Ibrahim Eye Hospital. It included every third household by stratified sampling in each Union Council of (BQ) Town, in the months of May to July 2013. The interview Questionnaire included 43 questions, of qualitative and quantitative aspects, which were awarded 56 scoring points. SPSS version 20.0 was used to analyze the data.Results: Six hundred ninety two adults one from each household were interviewed. Of the total respondents, 271 (39.2%) had diabetes. Lowest mean knowledge score (5.28 ± 6.09) was seen in illiterate respondents. Male’s Mean Knowledge score (7.61 ± 6.600) was better than female’s (5.46 ± 6.21) with P <0.001. Over all mean score of Attitudes towards diabetes was 5.43 ± 2.57. It was higher (6.62 ± 2.03) in diabetic respondents as compared with non-diabetic respondents (4.70 ± 2.59) with p < 0.000. In Practice module majority of the respondents (69.9%) did not exercise, 49% took high caloric snacks between meals and 87% ate outside home once a month, 56.8% diabetics visited ophthalmologist for routine eye examination; but only 9.2% asked for retinal examination.Conclusion:Lack of knowledge of diabetes was found in the surveyed community, more marked in females, illiterate and the individuals not having diabetes.

Objectives:Primary aim was to review the literature on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and Vision threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) in Pakistan.Methods:A search of the bibliographic databases (Medline, Pub med, and Google scholar) was conducted from 1990 to March 2017. Articles about prevalence of DR and VTDR in Pakistan were retrieved and scrutinized. The studies satisfying the inclusion/exclusion criteria were considered for detail review.Results:Forty one articles on prevalence of DR were traced out. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were met in 29 studies. In selected studies (29), pooled Prevalence of DR was found to be 28.78% with a variation of 10.6% to 91.3%. Out of 29 studies, DR was classified in 19 studies. Pooled Prevalence of VTDR in these 19 studies was found to be 28.2% (variation of 4% to 46.3%) of patient with retinopathy and 8.6% of all diabetics.Conclusion:A great variation in the values of DR and VTDR was observed in this study. Researchers suggest a community based study with uniform methodology to find out a comparable value of prevalence of DR and VTDR in all provinces of Pakistan.

There is a good deal of consensus in the literature about the key role of leadership-especially that of the headteacher-in facilitating school improvement. Yet much of the research in this area has taken place in Western industrialised countries. This article explores the issue of headship in the context of schools in a specific developing country context, that of Pakistan. Drawing on 2 studies of the experience of headteachers in Karachi, the article identifies and explores the key variables that may contribute to a sense of personal efficacy for these heads, namely the expectations generated by the national or community culture, the powers and accountabilities generated by the school system in which they work, and their own individual personalities and histories.

Relatively little systematic research has been undertaken on the role of the principal/headteacher in developing countries. In this study six headteachers of government and non-government secondary schools in Karachi were interviewed in depth and five completed diaries of their activities for one week. The study drew upon Rosemary Stewart's analysis of management roles in terms of the demands and constraints which are placed upon managers and the ways in which available choices are exercised by them. Significant differences were found both between and within government and non-government sectors. This paper describes these findings and explores their implications for educational change.

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