DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS MEDICALLY IMPORTANT INSECTS AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Insects can be found in a wide range of habitats, including deep jungles, agricultural plantations and even in our own homes and gardens. There are, however, harmful insects that have been classified as medically important, such as mosquitoes and flies. The goal of this study is to design, develop and validate a questionnaire for measuring primary schoolchildren’s knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) about medically important insects in Malaysia. A mixed method study was employed, and the questionnaire was designed in Phase 1 by reviewing several literature studies. Twenty questionnaire items were face-validated by 24 recognised experts in medical entomology during Phase 2. The construct validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), principal components analysis (PCA) and Cronbach’s alpha (α). As a result, the questionnaire’s final collection has 16 items in each of their respective domains. With Cronbach’s alpha of 0.7, the consistency was found to be acceptable. The developed questionnaire can be used to assess schoolchildren’s KAP towards medically important insects, hence increasing the possibility of reaching two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), good health and well-being (SDG 3) and quality education (SDG 4). Downloads Downloads PDF Published 2023-09-22 Issue Special Issue 2 (2023): Postgraduate Research Colloquium Section Research article License All authors agree that the article, if editorially accepted for publication, shall be licensed