Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Alopecia Areata Among the General Adult Population in Lahore, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Alopecia Areata (AA) is a psychosocially important, non-scaring, chronic, immune-mediated, hair-loss disease. Stigma may be influenced by the general population and their attitudes towards AA. The objective of the research was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of AA among the general adult population living in Lahore, Pakistan.
Methods It is a cross-sectional study with a community-based design that was conducted on a sample of adults residing in Lahore, Pakistan, on 22 December 2025, through 26 March 2026. A population of 603 questionnaires was used to help gather the necessary data; the questionnaire was borrowed without any modifications but was used to gather the data manually. After the eligibility and completeness check and data-quality screening 545 valid questionnaires were included in the final analysis.
Results: The final analysis was done using results 545 of the 603 questionnaires that gathered data and the proportion of valid response was determined to be 90.4. The mean PSS, knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 41.21 +/- 5.67 (possible scores 14-70; 58.87%), 10.91 +/- 5.78 (possible scores 0-28; 38.95%), 31.68 +/- 4.14 (possible scores 10-50; 63.37%), and 25.42 +/- 6.32 (possible scores 10-50; 50.84%), respectively. Using the <70% threshold, most participants had suboptimal knowledge (507/545, 93.0%), attitude (404/545, 74.1%), and practice (500/545, 91.7%) scores. Knowledge was positively correlated to attitude and practice scores and item-level latent SEM/path analysis boosted knowledge as a significant predictor of practice-related behavior.
Conclusion A general lack of knowledge, bad practice habits and negative attitudes towards alopecia areata had been exhibited in the overall adult population in Lahore. Since knowledge was positively associated with attitude and practice, community-level interventions can result in better knowledge, fewer misconceptions, and the correct behavior of seeking care.