METHODS: The Khadijah Rohani's Readability Formula (KRRF) and Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument were used to assess the readability and suitability of the pamphlets respectively. All 23 Bahasa Malaysia pamphlets retrieved from the official portal of OHP on the 31st January 2019 were assessed for suitability. However, only five pamphlets were found to be eligible for readability assessment because the KRRF, the single formula available for Bahasa Malaysia text is applicable only for materials with 300 words or more. The readability is interpreted based on the level of formal education in Malaysia.
RESULTS: All pamphlets achieved superior suitability rating with a minimum and maximum score of 75% and 95% respectively. However, a few pamphlets did not fulfil SAM superior and adequate criteria for the following factors and were rated not suitable: did not include summary (73.9%), have few or no headers (4.3%), did not use captions to explain graphics (17.4%), and did not provide interactive learning (21.7%). Readability of the pamphlets eligible for assessment ranged from primary six to secondary three.
CONCLUSIONS: OHE pamphlets produced by the MOH are readable by most Malaysians. Most pamphlets are generally suitable for the intended audience although a few performed poorly in several areas.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Pharmacy students developed a "hands-on" health campaign for delivery to university students. A health promotion topic was chosen and delivered each year for 2015-2017; sexual health, diabetes, and antimicrobial resistance, respectively. All health campaign participants were screened for cardiovascular risk factors. University students who participated in the health campaign in 2017 also completed a questionnaire assessing their understanding and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.
FINDINGS: In the three health campaigns conducted from 2015 to 2017, 1010 university students and adults were screened. Pharmacy students expressed a high level of professional achievement and satisfaction and felt that the activities provided a meaningful learning experience. Similarly, supervising pharmacists reported satisfaction with students' competency.
SUMMARY: The use of a health education campaign is an alternative model to educate pharmacy students on communication and critical thinking skills, as well as provide an opportunity for service learning.
METHODS: Women aged 40-74 years, from Segamat, Malaysia, with a mobile phone number, who participated in the South East Asian Community Observatory health survey, (2018) were randomized to an intervention (IG) or comparison group (CG). The IG received a multi-component mHealth intervention, i.e. information about BC was provided through a website, and telephone calls and text messages from community health workers (CHWs) were used to raise BC awareness and navigate women to CBE services. The CG received no intervention other than the usual option to access opportunistic screening. Regression analyses were conducted to investigate between-group differences over time in uptake of screening and variable influences on CBE screening participation.
RESULTS: We recruited 483 women in total; 122/225 from the IG and 144/258 from the CG completed the baseline and follow-up survey. Uptake of CBE by the IG was 45.8% (103/225) whilst 3.5% (5/144) of women from the CG who completed the follow-up survey reported that they attended a CBE during the study period (adjusted OR 37.21, 95% CI 14.13; 98.00, p<0.001). All IG women with a positive CBE attended a follow-up mammogram (11/11). Attendance by IG women was lower among women with a household income ≥RM 4,850 (adjusted OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.20; 0.95, p = 0.038) compared to participants with a household income health problem of low uptake of BC screening in rural Malaysia.
METHODS: Experimental and observational studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2021 which had quantitatively evaluated the impact of health education interventions on malaria knowledge and ITN usage were included in the review.
RESULTS: A total of 11 studies (20,523 participants) were included. Four studies used educational interventions to teach appropriate ITN strategies and promote ITN usage. Two others focused on improving knowledge of malaria transmission, prevention, treatment, and its signs and symptoms. The remaining five studies assessed both ITN use and malaria knowledge. Of these, 10 were eligible for meta-analysis. On average, the odds of a person in the intervention group reporting better malaria knowledge (odds ratio 1.30, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.70, p = 0.05) and higher ITN usage (odds ratio 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02 to 2.29, p = 0.004) increased significantly after receiving health education interventions compared to those in the control group. The odds of ITN usage also substantially increased when the interventions were based on a theory or model (odds ratio 5.27, 95% CI: 3.24 to 8.58, p = 0.05).
DISCUSSION: Our review highlights sub-Saharan Africa's various health education strategies to curb malaria over the past two decades. Meta-analysis findings show that health education interventions are moderately effective in improving malaria knowledge and ITN usage and have contributed to the effort of global malaria strategy.
METHODS: The mixed methods pilot feasibility study was carried out between April and September 2021, involving 16 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 5 experts. The usability score was rated according to the System Usability Scale (SUS).
RESULTS: The average SUS score by the experts was 88. The patients gave a higher score of 85 for SUS, with 58 as the lowest. The average SUS score was 72. The findings indicate that the webpage is acceptable, good, and highly usable for users.
CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study signify the relationship between effective health applications and how their design might hamper their effectiveness in changing patients' behavior.