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INTRODUCTION: Safety has become paramount to ensure that scuba diving continues to expand into new markets, with minimal risks, and that scuba diving translates into a safe and relaxed adventure in response to growing market demands. Research focusing on assessing the knowledge, awareness, and practices (KAP) regarding safety and emergency response among scuba divers has been limited, and there is a need for validated assessment tools in this area. METHODS: This study involved 555 scuba divers in Malaysia, and the questionnaire underwent a thorough development and validation process, including content and face validity assessments, as well as exploratory factor analysis. The validation of the knowledge domain was conducted using Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis, while awareness and practice were validated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA). RESULTS: The content validity of the instrument was confirmed, with all items scoring over 80% for Item Content Validity Index (I-CVI), Scale Content Validity Index (S-CVI), and Scale Content Validity Index/Average (S-CVI/AVE). The initial draft comprises three domains: knowledge, awareness, and practice. Knowledge items were analyzed using IRT and demonstrated acceptable difficulty and discrimination levels. For the awareness and practice domains, EFA showed a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (KMO) of 0.83 and 0.79, respectively, with a significant Bartlett's test of Sphericity (P < 0.001). EFA yielded three factors for both awareness and practice domains with a total of 12 items for awareness and 13 items for practice, with satisfactory factor loadings (≥0.3). The final model of CFA showed good fits for both awareness and practice domains in terms of absolute, parsimonious, and comparative measures. The composite reliability of awareness was acceptable with Raykov's rho of 0.71, whereas the practice domain fell slightly below the acceptable threshold at 0.55. This was attributed to low factor loading and a limited number of items within each factor. The final questionnaire now consists of 20 items for knowledge, 10 items for awareness, and 12 items for the practice domain. CONCLUSION: The results of this validation and reliability study indicate that the newly developed questionnaire possesses favorable psychometric properties for assessing KAP related to safety and emergency response in the scuba diving context. This research is essential for harmonizing the perspectives of crucial stakeholders within the recreational scuba diving industry.
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This study aimed to determine the knowledge, readiness, and barriers among street food hawkers to support the single-use plastic reduction program. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 440 night market food street hawkers from five districts in Kelantan, Malaysia selected through proportionate random sampling from 17 night market locations. The majority of the respondents had good knowledge level, 60% of respondents were ready to support this program, and 73% of them responded that barriers had low influence on them. Social media was the most popular information source utilized to obtain plastic usage information. Age, readiness to change, and significant barriers, were found to be associated with better knowledge. Male food hawkers and food hawkers that received information from social media and official sources were more ready to support single-use plastic reduction program. Proper strategies which incorporate more environmental knowledge, identify, and address the barriers may enhance the readiness to support this pro-environmental behaviour.
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Plastics , Social Media , Cross-Sectional Studies , Food , Humans , Malaysia , Male , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
SUMMARY: Accurate implant sizing is one of the major determinants in defining the success of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Current TKA implants are based on Caucasian knee morphometry which is well documented to be larger than Asian knees. Even more, with regards to sizing, implant mismatch tends to be more evident in the female population. This study was designed to evaluate the distal femur dimensions of Malaysian female patients who underwent TKA in our institution and to compare them with the current prosthetic system in use. A total of 199 female patients (207 knees) who underwent TKA were enrolled in this study. Intraoperatively, the AP dimensions (medial and lateral condyles) and mediolateral (ML) width were measured. Known dimension of the femoral component of the prosthetic knee system currently in use were compared with the morphological data. The average femoral component overhang was 2.11 mm (SD 3.94 mm). There was significant difference between the mean ML width of the resected femur and the femoral component (p<0.01). Analysis also revealed a significant positive and weak relationship between both, AP (medial and lateral) and ML dimension. The aspect ratio (ML/AP) of the native femur was generally smaller than the implant aspect ratio which is likely to cause overhang in our population. In general, this study shows that the knees of our female sub-population are even narrower than the other Asian female knees from previous studies. Implants should be designed based on the morphological data of the local population. Implant manufactures should tailor them to accommodate a smaller change in ML width for an increment in the AP length and provide several ML widths for one AP length to obtain a better fitting prosthesis hence curbing the problem of ML overhang.
RESUMEN: El tamaño exacto del implante es uno de los principales determinantes para definir el éxito de la artroplastía total de rodilla (ATR). Los implantes de TKA se basan en la morfometría de rodilla caucásica, cuyo tamaño está reportado como mayor que las rodillas asiáticas. Más aún, en lo que respecta al tamaño, el desajuste de los implantes tiende a ser más evidente en la población femenina. Este estudio fue diseñado para evaluar las dimensiones del fémur distal de pacientes mujeres malasias que se sometieron a ATR en nuestra institución y compararlas con el sistema protésico actual. En este estudio se incluyeron un total de 199 pacientes (207 rodillas) que se sometieron a ATR. Intraoperatoriamente, se midieron las dimensiones AP (cóndilos medial y lateral) y el ancho mediolateral (ML). Se comparó la dimensión conocida del componente femoral del sistema protésico de rodilla actualmente en uso con los datos morfológicos. El voladizo o sobresaliencia del componente femoral fue de 2,11 mm (DE 3,94 mm). Hubo una diferencia significativa entre el ancho ML medio del fémur resecado y el componente femoral (p <0,01). El análisis también reveló una relación significativa positiva y débil entre las dimensiones AP (medial y lateral) y ML. La relación de aspecto (ML / AP) del fémur nativo fue más pequeña que la relación de aspecto del implante, lo que probablemente cause un voladizo en nuestra población. En general, este estudio muestra que las rodillas de nuestra subpoblación femenina son incluso más estrechas que otras rodillas de mujeres asiáticas reportadas en estudios anteriores. Los implantes deben ser diseñados en base a los datos morfológicos de la población local. Los fabricantes de implantes deben adaptarlos a un cambio más pequeño en el ancho de ML para un incremento en la longitud AP y proporcionar varios anchos ML para una longitud AP con el objetivo de obtener una prótesis de mejor ajuste y frenar el problema del voladizo ML.
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Humans , Female , Prostheses and Implants , Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee , Femur/anatomy & histology , Knee/anatomy & histology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Intraoperative Period , MalaysiaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The knowledge gap and attitude of allergic rhinitis (AR) patients using intranasal corticosteroid (INCS) led to the poor outcome of their disease. We aimed to develop and validate a new questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of AR patients that can be used to assess and understand the factors affecting compliance of INCS. METHODS: The questionnaire comprised development and validation stages. A self-administered questionnaire was developed after a comprehensive literature review. It was subjected to content and face validity before a revised final version was drafted. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the validity of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was used to verify internal consistency. RESULTS: The development phase resulted in a questionnaire consisting of 14 items. Explanatory factor analysis revealed four factors associated with KAP. The four factors were extracted, and 12 items were kept. The factors were attitude domain with four items (factor 1), practice domain with four items (factor 2), and knowledge domain with four items (factor 3 has two items, and factor 4 has two items). The Cronbach's alpha of the four factors ranged from 0.614 to 0.809. The final questionnaire consists of 3 domains with 12 items (the knowledge domain with four questions; the attitude domain with four questions; the practice domain with four questions) and was valid and reliable. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed questionnaire has adequate validity and reliability. It is a useful tool to improve the treatment of AR patients by understanding the factors affecting their compliance.
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BACKGROUND: Primary care practitioners (PCPs), being the front liners, play an important role in treating allergic rhinitis (AR). As there is no proper tool to assess their perception, attitude, and practice in utilizing the guidelines, we aimed to develop and validate a new questionnaire for such purpose. METHODS: The development phase consists of both literature and expert panel review. The validation phase consists of content validity, face validity, and construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was used to verify internal consistency. The development phase produced a questionnaire with 3 domains: perception, attitude, and practice consisting of 60 items (PAP-PCP questionnaire). Item response theory analysis for perception demonstrated the difficulty and discrimination values were acceptable except for 3 items. Exploratory factor analysis for attitude and practice domains showed the psychometric properties were good except for 3 items in practice domain. Experts judgement was used to decide on the final selection of questionnaire which consists of 59 items. RESULTS: The final validated questionnaire has 3 domains with 59 items. All domains had Cronbach's alpha above 0.65 which was reliable. 302 physicians completed the questionnaire. 98% PCPs diagnosed AR based on clinical history. Although, majority agree AR guidelines is useful (67%), they had difficulty in using it to classify AR (54.9%) and determine AR severity (73.9%). Oral anti-histamines (first and second generation) were the most prescribed (>75%) followed by intranasal corticosteroids (59%) and combined intranasal corticosteroid and oral anti-histamine (51%). Majority agreed that treatment efficacy (81.8%), adverse effects (83.8%), fear of adverse effects (73.5%), route of administration (69.4%), dosing frequency (72.5%), taste (64.6%) and cost (73.5%) affect treatment compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed and validated questionnaire is a promising instrument in understanding the treatment gap in AR. Although further testing and refinement are needed, it provides an initial means for evaluating knowledge and understanding of PCPs in treating AR.
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INTRODUCTION: Medical doctors are often subjected to long working hours with minimal rest in between the shifts. This has led to many fatal and non-fatal road crash involvement (RCI). This study aims to determine the prevalence and predictors of RCI among medical doctors in Malaysia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a cross-sectional study among 375 Malaysian medical doctors who met the inclusion criteria. A predetermined self-administered questionnaires will be used to collect information regarding the sociodemographic, health status, workplace information, work commuting information, driving behaviour, history of RCI, fatigue, sleep quality, mental health status and work engagement. The questionnaires consist of the following instruments: (1) sociodemographic, health status, workplace information, work commuting information, driving behaviour and history of RCI; (2) Checklist of Individual Strength Questionnaire; (3) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; (4) 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale; and (5) Utrecht's Work Engagement Scale. The data will be analysed using SPSS program V.24. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to determine the prevalence and predictors of RCI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study protocol has received ethics approval from the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC), Ministry of Health Malaysia (NMRR-18-3983-40609) and the Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subject, University Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM). Online written informed consent will be obtained from each study participant by the researchers. Results of the study will be disseminated through relevant journals and conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04243291.
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Health Status , Physicians , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Malaysia/epidemiology , PrevalenceABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Implants used for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in Asian patients are mostly produced based on anthropometry of the Western population, thus causing problem with patella sizing, especially in Asian females where the patellae are regarded to be smaller. This study is to define intraoperative patella dimensions in our female populations and compare them with current prosthetic systems available at our institution. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving 156 TKA female patients with normal patellae. The patella height, width, thickness, medial and lateral articular facets' width and thickness, and the dome position were measured. The smallest implant size from 3 manufacturers was compared to the data obtained. Analysis using descriptive statistics was used to get the mean and median of anatomical patella dimensions, whereas the independent T test and one-way ANOVA test were used to compare the Malaysian female's patella dimensions with various implant sizes. RESULTS: The articular surface of the patella was found to have an oval shape with a width-height ratio of 1.31. The mean (SD) patella thickness, width, and height were 20.7 (1.85) mm, 40.7 (3.79) mm, and 31.3 (2.81) mm, respectively. Only 17.9% fit for smallest implant size from all 3 manufacturers. The oval-shape implant was suitable in 53.8% patients based on their width-height ratio. The dome position is 2.2 mm medial to centre. CONCLUSION: These female patients have thinner and smaller patella, which are generally unable to accommodate patellar components based on the Caucasian database. Therefore, orthopaedic implant manufacturers should consider optimizing the thicknesses as well as widths of their patellar prostheses.
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OBJECTIVES: Noise is known to be one of the environmental and occupational hazards listed in the Factory and Machinery Act 1967. Quarries with loud deafening sounds from trucks and machineries pose the risk of noise-induced hearing loss to workers. This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards noise-induced hearing loss and to determine the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss and its associated factors among quarry workers in a north-eastern state of Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at six quarries in a north-eastern state of Malaysia, with 97 consented respondents who answered a validated version of a questionnaire and underwent pure tone audiogram. The respondents were male, aged between 18 to 50 years, working in the quarry area for at least 6-months duration with no family history of ear diseases. RESULTS: The mean percentage scores of knowledge, attitude and practice were 44 (11), 70 (10) and 28 (16) percent, respectively. The prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss was found to be 57 (95% CI: 47, 67) with 46 (84%) having mild and moderate noise-induced hearing loss, and 34 (62%) involved both ears. Multiple logistic regressions showed that age and practice score were the associated factors with odd ratios of 1.1 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.2; p<0.001) and 0.9 (95% CI: 0.8, 1.0; p=0.008), respectively. CONCLUSION: The knowledge, attitude and practice scores of the respondents were poor and the high prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss was contributed by factors such as poor practice and old age.
