A Cross-Sectional Study on the Use of, Preference for, and Perceived Reliability of Mass Media for Drug-Related Information Among the General Public in Sarawak

Ting, Chuo Yew; Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan Abd; Lee, Kah Seng; Tan, Robin Tiow Heng; Ming, Long Chiau

doi:10.1177/2168479016674041

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Inappropriate practices of self-medication in developing countries have increased due to a lack of knowledge, inadequate medical information exposure, and confusing or unclear product labelling on different medicines [ 44 , 45 ]. Before using OTC medicine, reading the product label is the key to proper use, as it is taken without consulting a doctor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-the-Counter Medicine Attitudes and Knowledge among University and College Students in Brunei Darussalam: Findings from the First National Survey

Abdullah

Chaw

Koh

et al. 2022

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine is defined as safe and effective for the general public to use, without seeking therapy from a health professional. As primary social media and internet users, university and college students are more likely to be exposed to unverified sources of health information. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of students at institutions of higher learning in Brunei with regard to the safe use of OTC medicines. A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-administered online questionnaire, adapted from the literature with additional information from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the educational resources in understanding OTC medicine for consumers. The questionnaire consisted of 4 sections: demographic information, knowledge of OTC medicines, attitudes, and practice. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. A total of 335 students returned a completed questionnaire. The students had a mean knowledge score of 7.1 out of 9, with more than half (53.4%) having good knowledge (knowledge score > 7), and only a small percentage (5.7%) with poor knowledge. Almost all of the students (99.7%) had a positive attitude toward OTC medicine use. Few of the students practiced improper habits in terms of OTC medicine use, such as not reading the instructions or taking more than the recommended dose. Awareness of proper OTC medicine use among students in institutions of higher learning is necessary to prevent the rise of inappropriate user practices.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-the-Counter Medicine Attitudes and Knowledge among University and College Students in Brunei Darussalam: Findings from the First National Survey

Abdullah

Chaw

Koh

et al. 2022

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Changing behavior is the ultimate and highest priority in any public health campaign, but most of the mass media will change knowledge and awareness more easily than behavior. [30] In a meta-analysis, Shen et al analyzed the results of 22 studies and concluded that EE messages had a significant small effect on persuasion (r = .12) with a slightly stronger effect on health knowledge that on attitudes, intention, and behaviors. This suggests that EE can be more effective in communication health-related information, especially in educating people about a variety of health issues than changing attitudes and behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

folk-songs-for-health-education-a-qualitative-exploratory-study-among-public-and-pharmacy-enforcement-officers

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dikir Farmasi (DF) is a new effort to expand and intensify the dissemination of information about the regulation of the legitimate use of drugs and cosmetics. This study was aimed to explore the opinions of Pharmacy Enforcement Division staff and the general public regarding the quality and impact of DF program as a health promotion tool in Malaysia. A qualitative study using semistructured interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted at the Pharmacy Enforcement Department and three health clinics located at the city of Kota Bharu, Malaysia. The interviews were audio recorded, translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was performed to identify the themes and sub-themes of the transcripts. Ethical approval was obtained from Ministry of Health Malaysia. All respondents provided a written consent for participation. Nine pharmacy officers and 23 general public participated in this study. Five main themes emerged from the information gathered and analyzed: 1) language; 2) design; 3) content and delivery 4) costs and benefits and 5) prospect of DF. Certain weaknesses of DF have been raised and the health authorities could utilize this information for an improvement. Significant effort must be made to improve the publicity and dissemination of DF to ensure that it reaches the target population. Certain weaknesses of DF have been raised and the health authorities could utilize this information for an improvement. Significant effort must be made to improve the publicity and dissemination of DF to ensure that it reaches the target population.

show abstract

“…It is less cost‐effective to conduct activities at rural areas since it involves more logistic costs, in addition to a lesser number of potential participants. Amidst the scarcity of the resources, mass media especially the radio could be the best media channel since past study revealed that most of the rural folks in the state were most accessible to radio and perceived most credible sources in obtaining drug‐related information …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness on know your medicine campaign and the appropriate use of medicines among Sarawak consumers

Ting

Ang²,

Ahmad³

et al. 2019

J Pharm Health Serv Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Inappropriate use of medicine is a serious public health issue. Malaysia launched Know Your Medicine (KYM) campaign in 2007 to promote the appropriate use of medicines (AUOM). However, little studies were done to evaluate the extent of awareness level towards the campaign and AUOM among Sarawak population. Objective To explore the awareness level of consumers on the KYM campaign and on the AUOM in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted from June to August 2015 using a structured self‐administered questionnaire adapted from the National Survey on the Use of Medicines III. Convenient sampling was done to sample a minimum of 78 respondents from each zone with equal distribution between rural and urban areas, which inclusive of the southern zone (Kuching division), central zone (Sibu division) and northern zone (Bintulu and Miri divisions). Data analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS (v21.0). Results There were a total of 267 respondents, with 49.1 and 50.9% from urban and rural population respectively. Only 32.8 and 19.9% of respondents from urban and rural, respectively, had attended the KYM activities (P < 0.05). For awareness on the AUOM, urban respondents had a significantly higher proportion of recognising generic and brand name of medicine (73.3 versus 39.7%, P < 0.001). However, both groups reported poor awareness of proper disposal of medicines (<25%). Conclusion Approximately half of the respondents were not aware of the KYM campaign. Urban population was found more knowledgeable about appropriate use of medicines. Efforts to disseminate the information especially among rural population should be strengthened through adopting the most accessible media channels.

show abstract

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Use of, Preference for, and Perceived Reliability of Mass Media for Drug-Related Information Among the General Public in Sarawak

Abstract: Television can be an important and attractive choice of mass media in a quality use of medicines (QUM) campaign. The Internet can be used to disseminate drug-related information in urban areas, whereas radio can be used in a QUM campaign targeting the rural public.

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Over-the-Counter Medicine Attitudes and Knowledge among University and College Students in Brunei Darussalam: Findings from the First National Survey

Over-the-Counter Medicine Attitudes and Knowledge among University and College Students in Brunei Darussalam: Findings from the First National Survey

folk-songs-for-health-education-a-qualitative-exploratory-study-among-public-and-pharmacy-enforcement-officers

Awareness on know your medicine campaign and the appropriate use of medicines among Sarawak consumers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About