Lipis District Health Office, Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia.
Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malar J. 2024 Sep 5;23(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s12936-024-05095-7.
In Malaysia, despite a decline in cases, malaria remains a major public health concern, especially among the vulnerable indigenous people (i.e. Orang Asli) in remote areas. Effective preventive and control measures require an evidence-based understanding of their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding malaria. This study aimed to evaluate the KAP regarding malaria in an indigenous settlement in Peninsular Malaysia.
A household-based cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2024 in six Semai sub-ethnic indigenous villages in Pos Lenjang, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. A structured questionnaire was administered to randomly selected individuals (≥ 12 years old) to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and KAP. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and predictors of KAP were determined using logistic regression. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
A total of 267 individuals from 160 households were interviewed. Nearly half had good knowledge (49.4%) and positive attitudes (54.3%) towards malaria, with high practice scores for prevention and control (83.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed higher odds of good knowledge in those aged 40-59 years (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] = 6.90, p = 0.034), with primary (aOR = 2.67, p = 0.015) or secondary education (aOR = 2.75, p = 0.019), and with previous malaria history (aOR = 5.14, p < 0.001). Higher odds of a good attitude were found in those with secondary education (aOR = 4.05, p < 0.001) and previous malaria history (aOR = 2.74, p = 0.017). Lower odds were observed for the unemployed (aOR = 0.25, p = 0.018) and those collecting forest products (aOR = 0.25, p = 0.049) for attitude and practice, respectively.
The overall practice level on malaria prevention was high among the Semai Orang Asli in Pahang. However, to ensure sustainability, the low levels of knowledge and attitude regarding malaria must be strengthened through increased health education and continuous community engagement.
在马来西亚，尽管病例有所减少，但疟疾仍是一个主要的公共卫生关注点，尤其是在偏远地区脆弱的土著人民（即原始马来人）中。有效的预防和控制措施需要基于对他们关于疟疾的知识、态度和实践（KAP）的循证理解。本研究旨在评估在马来西亚半岛一个土著定居点的疟疾 KAP。
2024 年 3 月，在彭亨州瓜拉立卑的 Pos Lenjang 地区的六个 Semai 次民族土著村庄进行了一项基于家庭的横断面研究。向随机选择的（≥12 岁）个人发放了一份结构化问卷，以收集社会人口特征和 KAP 数据。使用描述性统计方法分析数据，并使用逻辑回归确定 KAP 的预测因素。p 值小于 0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
共对 160 户家庭中的 267 人进行了访谈。近一半的人对疟疾有较好的知识（49.4%）和积极的态度（54.3%），预防和控制措施的实践得分较高（83.1%）。多变量逻辑回归分析显示，40-59 岁年龄组的知识水平较高的可能性更大（调整后的优势比[aOR] = 6.90，p = 0.034），具有小学（aOR = 2.67，p = 0.015）或中学教育（aOR = 2.75，p = 0.019），以及既往疟疾史（aOR = 5.14，p < 0.001）。具有中学教育（aOR = 4.05，p < 0.001）和既往疟疾史（aOR = 2.74，p = 0.017）的人，态度较好的可能性更大。对于失业者（aOR = 0.25，p = 0.018）和从事森林产品采集者（aOR = 0.25，p = 0.049），观察到态度和实践得分较低。
在彭亨的原始马来人中，疟疾预防的总体实践水平较高。然而，为了确保可持续性，必须通过增加健康教育和持续的社区参与来加强疟疾知识和态度方面的薄弱环节。
