ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of asthma among urban community pharmacists in Selangor, Malaysia. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at state of Selangor, Malaysia from Jan 2016 to Jul 2016
Material and Methods: One hundred fifty [150] community pharmacists in Selangor, Malaysia, were randomly selected and recruited for this baseline study. Self-administered questionnaires were directly distributed and collected by the investigators themselves. The extracted data from the completed questionnaires was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science [SPSS] version 19 [based on parametric/ non-parametric data]
Results: The mean average score of the pharmacists was 12.93 +/- 3.46 over a maximum possible score of 23 corresponding 56% of which was thought to be moderate performance. Respondents performed best in issues relating to features of asthma while areas of knowledge deficiency included recognizing the main symptoms of asthma, factors that can cause asthmatic attacks and proper mode of delivering asthma medications. The knowledge of asthma was related to age while gender and location of their premises had no influence on their knowledge
Conclusion: The key findings of this study indicated that the knowledge of asthma among community pharmacists surveyed was of average level. These results bring into focus the need for community pharmacists to undergo continuing professional education in order to update their knowledge and skills
ABSTRACT
The school students are of particular importance in the HIV/AIDS awareness policies at both local and international level. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission among urban and rural public secondary school students in Malaysia. In this cross-sectional study, post local ethics approval, 600self-administered questionnaires were randomly disseminated to students in 6 different secondary schools and areas [i.e. 3 urban schools and 3 rural schools]. Data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences [SPSS®], version 17. The Pearson Chi-Square test was applied where applicable. Most respondents had heard about HIV [overall response rate: 96.2%]. However, 8.9% of rural respondents [27/302] never heard about HIV and were excluded. Therefore, 275 urban students [Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang] and 275 rural students [Terengganu] who successfully completed and returned the questionnaires were included in data analysis. Many respondents were female and within the age range of 15-16 years old. Most respondents in both areas knew that sharing needles can transmit HIV [93.5% urban; 97.1% rural]. Out of 15 items concerning transmission modes of HIV, eight items showed significant values [p < 0.05] of rural vs. urban: saliva, urine, tears, using same swimming pool, blood transfusion, mosquito bites, sharing foods and donating blood to HIV patients. About 90.2% and 79.6% of respondents in urban and rural areas used television and newspapers as main source of knowledge on HIV, respectively. The implementation of incessant HIV and AIDS education programme could be useful in order to enhance and sustain awareness concerning HIV/AIDS among secondary school students