VALIDATION AND RELIABILITY OF A GUIDED QUESTIONNAIRE (GQ) FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES MELLITUS (T1DM) CHILDREN AND PARENTS ON PERIODONTAL DISEASE (PD) The prevalence of PD is notably high in individuals with T1DM. Despite this, there is a limited availability of research on the utilization of questionnaires to evaluate self-perceived PD, patient knowledge, and their perception of PD in T1DM patients. Therefore, our objective was to establish validity and reliability of a bilingual (English-Malay) version of the guided questionnaire (GQ) to be used among pediatric T1DM patients attending Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sungai Buloh campus and the Universiti Malaya (UM). This questionnaire focused on self-reported periodontal disease (PD), assessing their knowledge, and understanding of the bidirectional relationship between PD and T1DM. The dual-language GQ was adapted from the Self-Reported Questionnaire Malay Modified (SRQMM) to suit the targeted participants. Content validation was carried out among five field experts, and face validation was done among pediatric patients in Dental Faculty UiTM. Reliability testing was administered in T1DM patients attending UiTM and UM. The structure and words of the component in GQ were modified to ensure that it was appropriate for the participants. The item-level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) turned out to be valid with an average of 0.98. The subjective measurement of face validation showed satisfactory results after the second revision. Reliability concerning Cronbach’s alpha (α) values was computed relying on all 21 items, which were acceptable at about 0.777, 0.644, 0.780 in the self-perceived PD assessment domain, knowledge domain and perception domain, respectively. Hence, the adapted dual language paediatrics version of the GQ is a reliable and valid tool for assessing self-perceived PD, knowledge, and perception in T1DM patients on PD and it can be effectively utilized by non-dental healthcare personnel.

Early detection of a dengue outbreak is an important first step towards implementing effective dengue interventions resulting in reduced mortality and morbidity. A dengue mathematical model would be useful for the prediction of an outbreak and evaluation of control measures. However, such a model must be carefully parameterized and validated with epidemiological, ecological and entomological data. A field study was conducted to collect and analyse various parameters to model dengue transmission and outbreak. Dengueprone areas in Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Kedah and Johor were chosen for this study. Ovitraps were placed outdoor and used to determine the effects of meteorological parameters on vector breeding. Vector population in each area was monitored weekly for 87 weeks. Weather stations, consisting of a temperature and relative humidity data logger and an automated rain gauge, were installed at key locations in each study site. Correlation and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ADL) model were used to study the relationship among the variables. Previous week rainfall plays a significant role in increasing the mosquito population, followed by maximum humidity and temperature. The secondary data of rainfall, temperature and humidity provided by the meteorological department showed an insignificant relationship with the mosquito population compared to the primary data recorded by the researchers. A well fit model was obtained for each locality to be used as a predictive model to foretell possible outbreak.