Abstract
Introduction: Multitude studies have shown perception is an integral factor associated with smoking, However, no such tool was available in Malay language. In this study, we established a Bahasa Malaysia version of PTSQ (BM-PTSQ) and tested the validity and reliability among secondary school adolescents. Methods: The English version of PTSQ originally consists of 12 items. It was translated into Bahasa Malaysia and back-translated again into English to check for consistency. After face validity (face-to-face query) was determined among 20 secondary school adolescents, only 10 items were included in the survey. Construct validity was established from 407 school adolescents through random selection in the same locality. More than 60% of the respondents were female, a majority (67.3%) were schooling in rural areas. Then, the reliability of the questionnaire was determined with Cronbach’s alpha. Results: EFA has grouped PTSQ into two components, they are associated with either knowledge or attitude towards smoking. The variance and Cronbach’s alpha for the first and second component were 38.24% and 0.861 (7 items) and 21.62% and 0.661 (3 items) respectively. Conclusion: The PTSQ showed good validity and reliability for measurement of perception in smoking among school adolescents in Malaysia, thus this is a viable measurement tool. More importantly this study shows an urgent need to improve the smoking education among adolescents in Malaysia.
Highlights
This study aims to establish the construct validity and reliability of the Malay language version of Perception towards smoking questionnaire (PTSQ) (BM-PTSQ) among secondary school adolescents
Perception towards smoking questionnaire (PTSQ) was adopted from Ma et al.[24], and the 12 items in PTSQ were forward translated by content and language experts into the Malay Language
BM-PTSQ was sent to 2 content experts to obtain their opinions regarding the questionnaire
Summary
Ample research studies have demonstrated that smoking is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality globally.[1]. Smoking-related diseases, such as cancer and ischaemic heart diseases, are the leading causative factors for mortality in Malaysia since the 1980s.2-4. National burden of diseases studies revealed that approximately one-third of disabilities in Malaysia is due to smoking-related diseases.[5]. The Ministry of Health Malaysia has introduced various measures to address the problem of disabilities due to smoking.[6]. Multitude studies have shown that smoking is a learned behaviour that starts as early as during the adolescent years.[7-9]. The risk of cardiovascular diseases would increase.12Therefore, reducing smoking initiation among non-smoking adolescents is a long-term health measure to address the morbidity and mortality related to smoking
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