MJM, Vol 70 Supplement 1 September 2015
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice
towards dengue prevention among medical students in
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor
ABSTRACT
Introduction: A 30-fold increase in incidence and increasing geographic expansion to new countries during the last 50 years has wide health security implications worldwide. In Malaysia, by November 2014, there were 91,000 cases and 250 deaths due to dengue. The objective of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice related to dengue prevention among medical students of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
Methods: A cross-section study was conducted using systematic random sampling technique among UPM medical students. Data was collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The respondents’ knowledge and practice were assessed using 10-item (Yes/No) scale. The respondents’ attitude was assessed using a 10-item Likert scale. Data analysis was done using the SPSS version 22. Chi-square (χ2) test was used to determine the relationships between categorical variables. Independent t-test was used to compare two mean scores and ANOVA (F-test) was done to compare the means of ≥ 2 groups. The level of significance (α) was set at 0.05.
Results: The overall mean age of the 309 respondents was 22.2 years (95% CI = 22.04, 22.39) and ranged from 19 to 27 years. Majority (99.4%) had previous information about dengue. Majority of respondents (94.8%) had good knowledge (scores 8 and above) and 5.25% had a satisfactory level of knowledge (scores 5.00-7.99). Majority (68%) had satisfactory attitude and 32.0% had positive attitude. Majority demonstrated satisfactory (56.3%) to good practice (26.5%) related to dengue prevention. There was no statistically significant relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice towards dengue prevention and age, gender or residence; knowledge and attitude; knowledge and practice; and attitude and practice.
Conclusion: Level of knowledge of dengue prevention was good among medical students of UPM. The level of attitude and practice of medical students towards the disease were satisfactory to good.
Keywords: KAP, Dengue Prevention, Medical Students
