Preparedness and Attributes of COVID-19 among Malaysian Public during the Movement Control Order

Sharifah Najwa Syed Mohamad,Shahrina Ismail Shahrina Ismail,Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman,Fathima Begum Syed Mohideen Fathima Begum Syed Mohideen,Fatin Ahza Rosli Fatin Ahza Rosli,Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad

doi:10.33102/mjosht.v7i2.170

Abstract

The emergence of COVID-19 has affected people worldwide from all angles, from the aspects of health, wealth, emotional and also human interactions. This study aimed to look at the attributes such as positive behaviour, awareness, preparedness and relationships among Malaysians during the implementation of movement control order (MCO), and the predictors of preparedness in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted online involving 317 respondents above the age of 18 years old. A self-administered questionnaire was developed in both Malay and English languages to assess the level of positive behaviour, awareness, preparedness and relationships, as well as their main source of information retrieval regarding COVID-19. Overall, the measured attributes in this study showed the highest level in behaviour (84.2%), followed by awareness (73.5%), preparedness (62.5%) and relationships (60.6%). Multiple regression on preparedness revealed that all variables (behaviour, awareness, and relationships) are significant (p<0.05), while gender is not. The top two sources of information the respondents refer to during the MCO are social and broadcast media. This marks the influence of social and broadcast media in an Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. Despite having good awareness and positive behaviour, the MCO may also have caused relationship issues as well as lower preparation levels in facing a deadly pandemic. It is suggested that future research to look into whether this would have any association with the mental health of Malaysians facing the pandemic. By understanding the attributes related to the MCO during the COVID-19 pandemic, it would help the government in the implementation of policies and procedures in any future pandemic.

Highlights

The Malaysian community understands too little about the coronavirus disease virus (COVID-19) when it first emerged in Malaysia in January 2020
It has been documented that understanding the perception of the public toward infectious disease threats would contribute to the ability of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to determine knowledge gaps to be addressed in public health awareness campaigns
The strength of our study is that it adds to our knowledge some information regarding relationships of respondents during the movement control order (MCO) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

The Malaysian community understands too little about the coronavirus disease virus (COVID-19) when it first emerged in Malaysia in January 2020. After the 3rd wave of COVID-19 has hit the country, some portions of the public are still ignorant of the actual harm that COVID19 could impose This has led to the increase in the summons toward individuals (RM 10,000) and organisations (up to RM 50,000) who violate the standard operating procedure (SOP) of the movement control order (MCO) [1]. Malaysia MOH has committed a lot of resources toward effectively containing the outbreak, preventing COVID-19, and promoting health through public education. Despite these efforts, to obtain a collective responsibility by the public health community in Malaysia to raise public awareness toward this disease, more public involvement is needed

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