Adolescent pregnancies are high-risk pregnancies. Better sexual health strategies are required to address the associated complications.

Pap smear screening can detect cervical cancer early, but is underutilized. Motivational factors play a role in ensuring that women undergo Pap smear screening. This study was conducted to validate the adapted instrument, which was based on the protection motivation theory (PMT), into the Malay language to evaluate the motivational factors for Pap smear screening among women. The original 26-item PMT scale was developed based on seven constructs of the PMT framework. The adaptation involved translation by bilingual experts (n = 4), followed by synthesis (n = 6). Subsequently, we performed content validation (content validation index, CVI) among the health experts (n = 5) and face validation (face validation index, FVI) among women (n = 11). Reliability testing for internal consistency was determined via the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of women aged between 21 and 65 years (n = 150). One item was deleted based on the expert consensus, leaving a total of 25 items after the adaptation. The validation yielded a good CVI and FVI. Prior to CFA reliability testing, one item was deleted due to very low factor loading. The CFA indicated a good fit for 24 items. The factor loading (range: 0.45–0.98), average variance extracted (range: 0.44–0.90), and composite reliability (range: 0.69–0.97) indicated that the convergent validity for each construct was acceptable, except for the perceived vulnerability. However, the perceived vulnerability construct was accepted based on expert verification. We confirmed that the translation, cross-cultural, adaptation, and validation of the Malay-version PMT scale were valid and reliable. The scale contains 24 items that represent the seven constructs of the PMT framework.

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Sexual dysfunction in women is a significant health problem that harms marriage stability. Women in the Western countries were reportedly being affected by this condition after childbirth but the magnitude of the problem in our local setting is still unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of women with sexual dysfunction at four to six months postpartum and its possible risk factors in an urban primary care setting. The participants were given a set of questionnaire, consisting of three parts; i) sociodemographic and maternal characteristics ii) Malay version of Female Sexual Function Index and iii) Malay DASS-21 questionnaire. Responses from 249 women were analyzed. More than half (57.0%,n=142) were found to have sexual dysfunction. The most prevalent types of sexual dysfunction reported by the affected women were sexual satisfaction disorder (98.6%), followed by arousal disorder (58.5%) and lubrication disorder (28.9%). Three factors were found to be significantly associated with sexual dysfunction; household income of less than RM2000 (adj OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.14, 0.70), Malay ethnic group (adj OR = 1.93,95% CI 1.02, 3.66) and breastfeeding (adj OR = 2.24,95% CI 1.03, 4.85). In conclusion, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the postpartum period was considerably high. Efforts should be made to incorporate sexual health as part of the routine postnatal assessment in primary care practice.

Cervical cancer (CC) screening can detect the cancer early but is underutilized, especially among the developing countries and low- to middle-income countries. Electronic health (e-health) has the potential for disseminating health education and is widely used in the developed countries. This systematic literature review investigates the effectiveness of e-health intervention for improving knowledge of CC and the intention or uptake for CC screening. We followed the PRISMA 2020 guideline and registered with PROSPERO (registration ID CRD42021276036). We searched the Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCO Medline Complete databases for eligible studies. Studies that conveyed informational material through e-health intervention were selected. The results were analyzed using narrative synthesis, and the pooled estimates were calculated using meta-analysis. A total of six studies involving 1886 women were included in this review. The use of e-health aids alone led to increased knowledge. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the mixed-education method of e-health movies and video education with didactic sessions increased CC screening uptake. A random-effects model revealed that CC screening uptake following e-health interventions were almost double of that of their comparison (odds ratio = 2.29, 95% confidence interval: 1.28–4.10, p < 0.05). Various areas of study demonstrated e-health intervention effectiveness (minority communities, urban areas, rural areas). Health education through e-health intervention has huge potential for promoting CC screening in the community. Nevertheless, the use of appropriate frameworks, user engagement and culturally tailored e-health need to be prioritized.