ABSTRACT
@#Hepatitis B (HB) is an upcoming health issue in Malaysia. Even though the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) for HB vaccination implemented by the Malaysia government in 1989, individuals born before 1989 were not covered under the EPI and should immunised against the HB virus. Examining the Malaysians’ perception of vaccination is very important in order to determine their behaviour regarding HB vaccination. Most of the studies only gave priority to analysing this issue from an occupational risk perspective, consumers’ perceptions of the HB vaccination are still lacking. This study is aimed at assessing the validity and reliability of the Malay version of the perception questionnaire used for Malaysian households. A pilot study involving 300 respondents was conducted in six districts in the Selangor area. Factor analysis constructed four components: perceived sustainability, perceived severity, perceived benefit and perceived barriers loaded on the corresponding component with factor loading of more than 0.5. Principal component analysis of the finalised 13 items explained the instrument of the variance, which was 59.7% in total, 20.3%, 14.5%, 12.5% and 12.4% explained by the four constructs. The Cronbach alpha for the items instruments is 0.5 to 0.8 which shows that moderate internal consistency exists and demonstrates reliability of the questionnaire. The frequency of the four constructs shows that most of the respondents worry about getting infected with HBV, the perceived severity level is high among respondents, they perceived benefit from getting an HB vaccination and perceived low barriers to getting the HB vaccination.
ABSTRACT
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an upcoming public health problem in Malaysia. This study analysed the trend of Hepatitis B (HB) cases from 2003 to 2012 and project the cases for an 18-year period (2013–2030). Based on the national data of annual reported cases and the Malaysian population projections (2010–2040), trend/regression lines were fitted to analyse the trend and estimated HB incidence. The number of HB cases decreased for six consecutive years and began to increase from 2010 onwards. During the 10-year period (2003–2012), the highest number of HB cases was reported in Sabah, followed by Pahang and Wilayah Persekutuan; the lowest was reported in Perlis. The exponential curve shows a decrease of HB cases by an average of 6.3%. However, the polynomial curve shows fluctuations in the trend, with a higher degree of R-square (0.8655). Most states appear to be at moderate vulnerability to HBV infection (Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak), except for Melaka, Wilayah Persekutuan, and Selangor, which were at high risk of HB incidences. Overall, the estimated HB cases indicate that the number of cases and the incidence rates will increase in the future in all states, except for Penang. As the estimated HB cases and incidence rates show an increasing pattern, the government should strengthen their strategies in the management of HB and take preventive measures such as educating the public through awareness programmes, conducting compulsory blood screening, and sustaining the Expanded Programme on Immunization effectively.