Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading cancers in Malaysia where new
cases are increasing every year. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a
newly developed questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and dietary practices (KAP) related to CRC
for the Malay population.
Methods: The respondents were conveniently selected among visitors attending an
outpatient clinic in a tertiary hospital. We excluded those with any cancers, chronic diseases and
those that were illiterate. The exploratory factor and reliability analyses were conducted.
Results: A total of 108 respondents were recruited of which 67.7% were males and the
mean age was 54.59 years (standard deviation 8.93). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of
sampling adequacy values for KAP were 0.64, 0.66 and 0.67, respectively (P < 0.001). The 17 items
of knowledge formed five domains with loading factors ranging from 0.54–0.89. The six items of
attitude formed two domains with loading factors ranging from 0.64–0.80 and the 15 practices
had four domains with loading factors ranging from 0.52–0.83. The total variances explained for
each KAP were 61.02%, 56.41% and 53.12%, respectively. The internal consistency Cronbach alpha
values on KAP were 0.61, 0.60 and 0.70, respectively.
Conclusion: The final questionnaire is suitable for measuring KAP related to CRC among
the Malay population.