1.Development and validation of the Salt Intake-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Questionnaire for Malaysian adults
Zainorain Natasha Zainal Arifen ; Ngoh Wan Hwah ; Hng Jie Wei ; Siti Aishah Ismail ; Maryam Hanis Fairuzam ; Hasnah Haron
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2024;30(No.1):73-86
Introduction: Malaysian adults consume excessive amounts of salt daily, which
could lead to hypertension. Understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices
(KAP) surrounding salt intake is crucial for designing effective interventions to
reduce excessive consumption and its associated health risks. Therefore, this study
aimed to adapt an existing salt intake-related KAP questionnaire that was previously
employed in a local population-based survey and to validate and test its reliability.
Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised two phases: (1) adaptation, content
validation (CV), and face validation (FV); (2) pilot testing and reliability testing. CV
and FV involved a total of seven experts and ten Malaysian adults from the Klang
Valley, respectively. Pilot testing involved 139 Malaysian adults to determine the
questionnaire’s reliability. Content validity index (CVI) and Face validity index
(FVI) values were calculated to analyse CV and FV. Reliability of each domain was
analysed by obtaining Cronbach’s alpha (α) values. Results: A self-administered
questionnaire comprising six items each for knowledge, attitude, and practice was
developed. The questionnaire demonstrated acceptable item-level CVI (I-CVI) and
item-level FVI (I-FVI) values of at least 0.83, indicating that the items were relevant,
clear, non-ambiguous, and simple. Reliability test showed acceptable α values
of at least 0.70 for each domain, suggesting that the questionnaire was reliable.
Conclusion: This tool could be considered valid and reliable for assessing the level
of KAP towards salt intake among adults in Malaysia.
2.Kaedah Diagnostik Semasa dan Penggunaan Ujian Titik Penjagaan Pantas (POC) Bagi Mendiagnos Hiperkolesterolemia Famili (FH) (Current Diagnostic Techniques and the Use of Rapid Point-of-Care (POC) Testing to Diagnose Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH))
LINA KHIALIDA SAIDI ; ZAM ZUREENA MD RANI ; SITI AISHAH SILAIMAN ; ISMAIL AZIAH ; ANIS AMIRAH ALIM ; SHARIPAH NADZIRAH SYED AHMAD AYOB ; DEE CHANG FU ; AZRUL AZLAN HAMZAH ; NOR AZIAN ABDUL MURAD
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2023;21(No.2):35-45
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant inherited genetic disease characterized by increased
concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) cholesterol in the blood. The risk of premature coronary heart
disease in FH patients may increase without early treatment. Advancement in molecular biology techniques has enable
early detection and diagnosis of FH. These techniques are cost-effective and have a shorter turnaround time. The
current diagnostic tools available for FH diagnosis involving algorithm-based scoring criteria and various molecular
diagnosis methods including next-generation sequencing (NGS), Sanger sequencing, Multiplex ligation-dependent
probe amplification (MLPA) and DNA hybridisation assay are discussed in this review. However, molecular genetic
testing is not widely available due to time-consuming procedures, high cost and requires trained personnel. Thus, this
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review highlights the use of point of care (POC) testing as an approach to diagnose FH, particularly in countries
lacking infrastructure and expertise in this field. Lateral flow testing (LFA) has gained attention as a POC diagnostic
tool due to its simplicity, low cost and involved simple procedure and settings. The advantages of LFA made this technique
a potential tool in addressing challenges in diagnosing FH, particularly for early diagnosis of family members.