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Sexual practices in Malaysia: determinants of sexual intercourse among unmarried youths

Zulkifli SN, Low WY

J Adolesc Health, 2000 Oct;27(4):276-80.
PMID: 11008091

This paper describes findings on selected determinants of sexual intercourse among 468 unmarried adolescents from a survey in Malaysia. Data on respondents' background, sexual experience, contraceptive use, and sexual attitudes are provided. Based on multiple logistic regressions, factors significantly predictive of sexual experience are gender, employment, and sexual attitudes.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Knowledge, attitudes and preventive efforts of Malaysian medical students regarding exposure to environmental tobacco and cigarette smoking

Frisch AS, Kurtz M, Shamsuddin K

J Adolesc, 1999 Oct;22(5):627-34.
PMID: 10527534 DOI: 10.1006/jado.1999.0258

A longitudinal study was conducted to determine changes in knowledge, attitudes and preventive efforts of Malaysian medical students concerning cigarette smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke from their first pre-clinical year in medical school until their final clinical year. There were significant improvements in knowledge about cigarette smoking and in knowledge, attitudes and efforts concerning environmental exposure to tobacco smoke. Overall attitudes concerning cigarette smoking did not change over this period. The same pattern was found for male non-smokers. Women improved on all five scales; male smokers improved on none over the 3-year period. Male non-smokers had better scores on these scales than male smokers in both beginning and ending years. Women excelled in comparison to male non-smokers on smoking attitudes in the pre-clinical year and on all scales except preventive efforts in the final clinical year.Although medical students experienced no changes in the amount of pressures not to smoke from family and friends, there was a significant increase in the amount of prohibition on smoking from their teachers. Male non-smokers alone accounted for this increase. Women experienced more pressure than men not to smoke from their teachers in both years, but the male smokers and non-smokers did not differ in teacher pressure for either year.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Stigma in mental illness: attitudes of medical students towards mental illness

Mas A, Hatim A

Med J Malaysia, 2002 Dec;57(4):433-44.
PMID: 12733168

Negative attitudes towards people with mental illness can be attributed to stigma. The objective of this study was to determine the attitudes of medical students towards mental illness by comparing those who have had contact with mental patients and those who have not. This study also assesses to what extent knowledge about mental illness can affect the students' attitude.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Asthma education: how much does it improve knowledge of childhood asthma amongst medical students and paramedics?

Norzila MZ, Hasanah I, Deng CT, Azizi BHO

Med J Malaysia, 2000 Sep;55(3):324-30.
PMID: 11200712

The objective of this study was to measure the knowledge of childhood asthma among medical students and paramedics. A previously validated questionnaire about childhood asthma was completed by 281 of 314, third and fifth year medical students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Their knowledge of asthma was assessed during the first and last weeks of their paediatric rotation. A similar questionnaire was completed by 23 of 60 paramedics from various medical disciplines in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. They had attended a two-day seminar on respiratory diseases and their knowledge was assessed prior to and six weeks after the seminar. On the initial assessment the mean score for the final year medical students was 24.5, third year medical students 20.9 and paramedics 18.3. After intervention their mean scores increased significantly to 26.3 (p < 0.0001), 24.6 (p < 0.0001) and 21.3 (p < 0.0001). After intervention, the final year medical students improved significantly in all questions except in the management of acute asthma. Post intervention, third year medical students showed a significant increase in knowledge pertaining to symptomatology, pathophysiology, trigger factors and prophylactic drugs used in asthma management. Although the knowledge of paramedics improved post intervention, they had major deficiencies in knowledge about pathophysiology, trigger factors, preventive and acute asthma therapy, side effects of asthma treatment as well as clinical scenarios. Improvement after intervention was only seen in six of the 31 questions. This study demonstrated an increase in knowledge about childhood asthma among medical students and paramedics after a short intervention.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Infant feeding practices and attitudes of mothers in Kelantan towards breastfeeding

Yusof YA, Mazlan M, Ibrahim N, Jusoh NM

Med J Malaysia, 1995 Jun;50(2):150-5.
PMID: 7565185

The incidence of breastfeeding among 96 mothers (88/96 were Malays) who were attending various clinics at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital and Kota Bharu General Hospital was about 95%. The feeding patterns show that about 72% of mothers gave mixed feedings (breastmilk plus infant formula) while only 30% gave exclusive breastmilk to their infants in the first six months. Two main reasons for giving mixed feedings were that mothers had to start working soon after giving birth and reported "insufficient milk". Mixed feedings were seen to be more prevalent in the higher income group mothers (> RM1000 per month). About 64% of them who breastfed their child continued to do so beyond 6 months. Regarding their knowledge on breastfeeding, most mothers (98%) knew that breastmilk is good for baby's health, economical, strengthens bonding between mother and child, and was sufficient for the sustenance of the baby. However, when asked about colostrum, 66% of mothers who breastfed their child threw away the colostrum before feeding; some of the reasons given were that colostrum is dirty, and not suitable for the baby's health and it might cause some diseases.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions related to drug abuse in peninsula Malaysia: a survey report

Low WY, Zulkifil SN, Yusof K, Batumalai S, Aye KW

Asia Pac J Public Health, 1995;8(2):123-9.
PMID: 9037810

Given the magnitude of drug addiction in Malaysia, the government has given top priority to this issue. It is timely that an assessment of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions related to drug abuse and drug dependents among the general public be carried out. Thus, a nationwide survey was undertaken. A representative sample of 2,591 respondents aged 13 years and above from households were surveyed throughout the 11 states and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in Peninsula Malaysia. The results revealed that the respondents are moderately knowledgeable on drug abuse, especially information pertaining to treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare services, including education to families against drug abuse. The public possess a negative attitude towards drug dependents. Majority felt that drug addicts do not have the will power to rid themselves of drugs and they also lack a supportive family network system. Many believe that the most vulnerable group are the adolescents. Respondents were aware of the type of drugs commonly abused, although they failed to realise their long-term effects. Respondents do not attribute low education, large family and marginal income to the background of drug dependents. The findings showed gaps and misconceptions in terms of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of the public. Accurate knowledge on, and right attitudes and perceptions towards drug related issues would certainly benefit the public in timely prevention of drug abuse.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Knowledge of childhood asthma among medical students

Quah BS, Rogayah J

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 1997 Dec;15(4):177-82.
PMID: 9579609

As future health care providers medical students should acquire an adequate knowledge of bronchial asthma before graduation from medical school. The aim of this study was to assess whether knowledge about childhood asthma increased during the medical course. The 590 medical students enrolled in the School of Medical Sciences, University of Science Malaysia during the 1995/96 session were studied utilizing a validated questionnaire. There was a significant increase in the mean total scores from 11 (95% CI 10.5-11.6) in Year 1 to 23.4 (95% CI 22.9-24) in Year 5. Questions about symptoms of asthma, pathogenesis of airway narrowing during acute exacerbations, preventive and reliever medications, side effects of steroids, addiction to asthma drugs and assessment of severity revealed a progressive increase in knowledge over the five years. Among 5th year medical students 44.6% named infection and 65.1% named exercise as two common triggers of childhood asthma; only 30.1% could name two prophylactic drugs for asthma. Although the asthma knowledge of medical students increased progressively during the five year curriculum, their knowledge regarding trigger factors and preventive medications were deficient. As childhood asthma affects some 10% of Malaysian children its importance requires greater emphasis in the medical curriculum.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Vitamin use and beliefs among students at a Malaysian university

Mazlan Bin Yong

J R Soc Health, 1990 Aug;110(4):132-4.
PMID: 2121980

A questionnaire was administered in class to a sample of physical education students at a Malaysian University in order to determine their beliefs and use patterns regarding vitamin supplementation. About a quarter of the subjects (24.6%) had practised vitamin supplementation for the past two years prior to the study, 14.9% of them being females as opposed to only 9.7% males. The most frequently used vitamin supplements, in rank order, were multivitamins (used by 57.6%), vitamin C (24.2%), the B-Complex vitamins (9.1%), and vitamin E (6.1%). Among vitamin supplementeers, the most frequently cited reasons for using vitamin supplements, in rank order, were 'to supplement the daily diet' (33.3%), 'to prevent colds' (27.3%), and 'to prevent fatigue or lethargy' (21.2%). Among non-supplementeers, the three reasons most frequently mentioned for not using vitamin supplements were 'vitamin needs are adequately supplied by daily meals' (50.5%), 'I am healthy enough and therefore I do not need extra vitamins' (27.2%), and 'fear of insidious side effects' (9.9%). In general, both supplementeers and non-supplementeers tended to believe in the purported health benefits of vitamin supplementation. However, on the whole, supplementeers were willing to change their supplementation habits.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext A family planning study in Kuala Pilah, Peninsular Malaysia

Thambypillai V

Med J Malaysia, 1982 Dec;37(4):326-35.
PMID: 7167084

Realising that family planning is not making a sufficient impact on the rural people as it is on the urban people, it was decided that it would be interesting to study the knowledge and attitude of a rural community towards family planning, The study sample consisted of 200 Malay married women - 100 acceptors and 100 non-acceptors from the Kuala Pilah District, The study commenced on 4 December 1978 and ended on 22 December 1978. A healthy climate of knowledge and attitude exists among rural Malay women. Only 2 percent nonacceptors had not heard of any method of family planning, and 99 percent acceptors, and 85 percent non-acceptors discussed family planning with their husbands. There was also enough evidence to show that birth rate does decrease as literacy rate increases. On the other hand, however, only 19 percent respondents approved of family planning practice before the first child. Also there is a dearth of information on family planning in the rural areas and not much was being done in utilising the two popular forms of mass-media - the radio and the television as a means of disseminating information on family planning. The study concludes with a recommendation that there is a need for sustained effort at improving knowledge and disseminating information, and nursing and nurturing the right attitudes towards family planning, It suggests that community leaders, women's clubs and private organisations be mobilised to participate more
fully in promoting family planning,

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Knowledge and attitudes regarding smoking: a health education experiment with Malay college students

Kurtz ME, Johnson SM, Ross-Lee B, Narayanan S

Med J Malaysia, 1990 Dec;45(4):319-24.
PMID: 2152053

This study investigated whether knowledge and attitudes of Malay college students regarding smoking can be positively influenced by educational intervention. The experiment included a pretest to assess the students knowledge and attitudes regarding smoking, a lecture on the health risks associated with smoking, and a posttest given six weeks later to assess whether any changes had occurred. A profile of the typical Malay student smoker was also elicited. Twenty-seven percent of the study population were smokers. Of the men in the sample, 44% were smokers, while less than 4% of the women were smokers. T-tests indicated that knowledge of the health risks associated with smoking was significantly improved for most groups, while attitudes towards smoking were essentially unchanged.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Research and policy guidelines from the World Fertility Survey in Asia and the Pacific

Rele JR

Asian Pac Popul Programme News, 1979;8(4):10-2.
PMID: 12261702
Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Family planning knowledge, attitude and practice in the rural areas of Sarawak

Lam CK

J Biosoc Sci, 1979 Jul;11(3):315-23.
PMID: 528560 DOI: 10.1017/S0021932000012384
Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Recognizing pitfalls in breast cancer follow-up: a necessity--reply

Taib NA

World J Surg, 2015 Feb;39(2):548-9.
PMID: 25446473 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-014-2872-9
Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Attitudes, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children among healthcare professionals in Malaysia

Balan S, Ahmad Hassali MA, Mak VSL

Int J Clin Pharm, 2019 Aug;41(4):1074-1084.
PMID: 31197546 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-019-00862-y

Background Off-label prescribing in children is associated with several prerequisites such as ensuring sound and scientific evidence and obtaining written consent prior to use of off-label drugs to ensure that protection is provided to patients and healthcare professionals. Adherence to the pre-requisites depends on the attitude, views and knowledge of the pharmacists and doctors involved in this practice. Objective To explore the attitudes, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children among hospital-based pharmacists and paediatric doctors. Setting The study was conducted in a 620-bedded general hospital located in the urban area of central Peninsular Malaysia. Method Face to face, semi-structured interviews with 12 pharmacists and 12 paediatric doctors. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using constant comparison method. Main outcome measure Themes surrounding hospital-based pharmacists' and paediatric doctors' attitude, knowledge and views on off-label prescribing in children. Results Four themes were derived: knowledge on off-label prescribing in children, views on off-label prescribing in children, attitude towards off-label prescribing in children and guidance on off-label prescribing in children. Conclusion There is a need to increase the knowledge of hospital-based pharmacists and paediatric doctors and address several concerns on off-label prescribing in children. The decision to prescribe or dispense off-label drugs involved collective decision-making mechanisms and guidance is required with regards to offlabel prescribing in children.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Knowledge on involvement during pregnancy among fathers in respective areas in Kuantan, Malaysia

Hanapi NNM, Isa MLM, Yusof AM

Enferm Clin, 2019 09;29 Suppl 2:572-578.
PMID: 31302017 DOI: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2019.06.008

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the knowledge on the involvement of father during pregnancy among fathers in the respective area in Kuantan.
METHOD: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional with a quantitative study. There were 103 participants recruited. The data of this study were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) with one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation test for significant analyses.
RESULT: The result showed that half of the fathers have high knowledge of pregnancy and knowledge on involvement regarding pregnancy. There is a significant difference between age factors with mean knowledge of father regarding pregnancy. Meanwhile, there is also a significant difference between age and knowledge on the involvement of father during pregnancy. In addition, a number of children and knowledge on the involvement of father during pregnancy also showed a significant association. The knowledge level of father regarding pregnancy and the knowledge on involvement during pregnancy among fathers is directly, linearly and moderately correlated.
CONCLUSION: This study can be concluded that fathers in Kuantan are possessed average knowledge on involvement regarding pregnancy. This shows that man lag behind in their responsibilities in pregnancy. In which, they do not clearly know what their role is during pregnancy.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Researching natural disaster preparedness through health behavioral change models

Samah AA, Zaremohzzabieh Z, Shaffril HAM, D'Silva JL, Kamarudin S

Am J Disaster Med, 2019 8 24;14(1):51-63.
PMID: 31441028 DOI: 10.5055/ajdm.2019.0315

There have been an increasing number of studies conducted on community preparedness, particularly on changing individual health behaviors in ways that minimizes individual risk to cope with the stress of a natural disaster. A variety of behavioral change theories and models used by disaster academics scrutinize the manner in which individual behavior is sought and transformed into disaster preparedness. This reflects the lack of knowledge about how these models identify certain behaviors regarding natural disaster preparation. This article seeks to address this lack of knowledge. It presents a set of health behavioral change models that can be used by scholars to comprehend variation in the nature and extent of individual disaster preparedness. The purpose of this study is to provide a review of the existing models on the subject, and also to present a comparative analysis of the models that may contribute to ways of understanding the investigation on natural disaster preparedness behaviors.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists on medication therapy management: a survey in Hospital Pulau Pinang, Penang, Malaysia

Al-Tameemi NK, Sarriff A

J Pharm Health Care Sci, 2019;5:1.
PMID: 30652009 DOI: 10.1186/s40780-019-0131-9

Background: Medication therapy management (MTM) service provides set of clinical activities to optimize therapeutic outcomes for patients. It requires the collaboration between patient, pharmacist and other healthcare providers to ensure safe and effective use of medicines. The objective of the current study was to assess Hospital Pulau Pinang pharmacists' knowledge, attitude and practice on MTM service.

Methods: A self-administrated validated survey was carried out among all pharmacists working at Hospital Pulau Pinang.

Results: A total of 93 pharmacists out of 130 (71.5%) were included in the study (61.3% between the age of 20-30 years old, 74.2% female, 68.8% Chinese, 88.2% holding bachelor's degree and 48.4% working in medication therapy adherence clinic and outpatient pharmacy). Majority of pharmacists had a high level of knowledge and positive attitudes regarding MTM service. All pharmacists agreed that MTM service could improve the quality of health services and most pharmacists were interested in providing MTM service (92.5%). Moreover, 95.7% were interested in acquiring more information about MTM service. About the barriers that might affect MTM service implementation, the most common barriers identified by pharmacists were lack of training (88.2%), need of high budget to implement MTM service (51.6%) and lack of time (46.2%).

Conclusions: Overall, the research findings provide some insights about the Hospital Pulau Pinang pharmacists' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding MTM service. Majority of pharmacists agreed and showed their interest towards the implementation of MTM service.

Study site: pharmacists working at Hospital Pulau Pinang.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Fulltext Effectiveness of a school-based intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice on healthy lifestyle and body composition in Malaysian adolescents

Sharif Ishak SIZ, Chin YS, Mohd Taib MN, Chan YM, Mohd Shariff Z

BMC Pediatr, 2020 03 14;20(1):122.
PMID: 32171276 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-020-02023-x

BACKGROUND: The 'Eat Right, Be Positive About Your Body and Live Actively' (EPaL) intervention programme was developed to prevent overweight and disordered eating in Malaysian adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the EPaL programme on knowledge, attitudes and practices on healthy lifestyle and body composition (body mass index z-score [zBMI], waist circumference [WC] and body fat percentage [BF%]) among adolescents.
METHODS: All measures were taken at three time points: before intervention (Pre), after intervention (Post I) and 3 months after intervention (Post II). The intervention group (IG) participated in the EPaL programme for 16 weeks, whereas the comparison group (CG) received no intervention. Seventy-six adolescents (IG: n = 34; CG: n = 42) aged 13-14 years were included in the final analysis. Repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to assess the impact of the EPaL intervention programme on the measures between groups (IG and CG) at Post I and Post II.
RESULTS: The IG reported significantly higher knowledge scores at both Post I (adjusted mean difference = 3.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.99, 5.69; p = 0.006) and Post II (adjusted mean difference = 2.82; 95% CI = 0.86, 4.78; p = 0.005) compared with the CG. No significant differences between the IG and CG were found at either Post I or Post II in attitudes, practices, zBMI, WC and BF%. The proportion of participants who were overweight or obese was consistent from Pre to Post II in the IG (35.3%) and increased from 26.2% at Pre to 28.5% at Post II in the CG, but the difference was not statistically significant. The proportion of participants who had abdominal obesity in the IG decreased from 17.6% at Pre to 14.7% at Post II and increased from 16.7% at Pre to 21.4% at Post II in the CG, but the differences were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: Despite no significant reduction of body composition, this programme shows the positive effect on the adolescents' knowledge regarding healthy lifestyle. This study contributes to the evidence on the effectiveness of school-based health interventions in Malaysian adolescents.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trial Registration UMIN000024349. Registered 11 October 2016.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Knowledge and practice concerning the use of oral rehydration salts among mothers living in urban slum areas of Kuala Lumpur

Osman A

Family Physician, 1991;3:28-30.

A study was conducted in an urban slum area of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, to determine the health status of the children under 6 years old and the knowledge and practice associated with diarrhoeal diseases and use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) among mothers in the area. It was seen that the health status of the children was poor with one fifth of them born underweight, 33% experiencing more than 6 spells of illness per year and a high percentage of them suffering from diarrhoeal diseases (4.3%). Child care practice was associated with urban lifestyles with early weaning, short term breast-feeding and early introduction of solid and bottle feeding. Knowledge and practice of mothers concerning child care was inadequate to support healthy living. Knowledge of diarrhoeal diseases and the effectivenss of oral rehydration salts was poor. Only 47.7% of mothers knew about ORS and 27.8% ever used it when their chidlren suffered from diarrhoea. Health care system dependence was shown by the high percentage of mothers immediately bringing to a doctor's attention (75.6%).

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Knowledge
Fulltext Public Awareness of and Action towards Heart Attack Symptoms: An Exploratory Study

Abdo Ahmed AA, Mohammed Al-Shami A, Jamshed S, Fata Nahas AR, Mohamed Ibrahim MI

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 12 02;17(23).
PMID: 33276636 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238982

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and Malaysia is not an exception in this regard. The current research is an attempt to explore symptom awareness of and necessary actions in response to heart attack (HA) among lay public.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study design, and a survey was conducted from May to July 2018 among general public in Kuantan, Pahang state, Malaysia.
RESULTS: A total of 393 respondents recruited. Slightly more than one-fourth of the respondents (26.35%) were aware of HA symptoms like pain and/or discomfort in the jaw, neck, or back, while 71.65% showed awareness only of chest pain or discomfort as symptoms. Only 35.6% reported to call an ambulance if they experience someone suffering from HA symptoms, while 82% recognized ≥1 symptom, and only 11.5% recognized all five HA symptoms. Very few respondents, i.e., 1.3% reported awareness about correct recognition of all five HA symptoms. Respondents who had diabetes and hypercholesteremia were more likely to recognize all five HA symptoms. For those who had excellent awareness of all five HA symptoms, the odds ratio (OR) were significantly higher among single respondents (OR 0.023; 95% CI 0.001-0.594), Malay (OR 0.376; 95% CI 0.193-0.733), and those who received information associated with HA (OR 7.540; 95% CI 2.037-27.914). However, those who were aware that HA requires quick treatment had significantly low odds ratio (OR 0.176; 95% CI 0.044-0.710).
CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of and action towards the signs and symptoms of HA among the public were poor.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*

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