Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) mainly affects children below 􀏐ive years of age. The disease can be prevented by focusing on hand hygiene, disinfection of premises, and cough etiquette. Teachers at pre-school play a vital role in inculcating good hygiene habits among children. This project aimed to determine pre and post-intervention level of knowledge, attitude and practices on HFMD among pre-schools teachers. This study involved pre-school teachers from Ampang, Selangor, Malaysia who were invited to a 5-hour event ”HFMD: Infection Control Workshop”. Questionnaires on knowledge, attitude and practice on HFMD were distributed before and immediately after the event. A total of 112 teachers were recruited. All were female, mostly (90%) from government pre-schools with the mean age of 35.8. Post-intervention total means a score of knowledge increased significantly, notably on the causative agent (23%) and complications of HFMD (26-45%). Mean attitude scores were also significantly increased, especially regarding the cleaning of toys and sharing of utensils. Meanwhile, practice scores were very high during pre-intervention but were insignificantly reduced post-intervention. The intervention improved respondents’ knowledge and attitude significantly. Findings from this study highlighted the need to provide more HFMD program focusing on the basic information of the disease, including mode of transmission and clinical manifestation. We hope that the knowledge gained will be imparted to fellow teachers and children under their care towards minimising the spread of HFMD.

Background: COVID-19 is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In Malaysia, first few cases of COVID-19 were detected in January 2020, among Chinese nationals and the cases keep increasing day by day. Methods: This self-administered web based cross sectional study using Google forms was conducted among 400 Malaysian adults to explore their level of knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19, as well as factors associated with the variables. Descriptive and binary logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 22. Results: Knowledge and practice among Malaysian adults towards COVID-19 were low. Gender (p = 0.030, OR:0.616, 95% CI 0.398-0.955) and occupation (p = 0.002, OR:2.489, 95% CI 1.485-4.172) were found as significant predictors of practice towards COVID-19. Conclusions: In conclusion, proper mass public health messages should be conducted by the higher authorities to improve knowledge and practice towards COVID-19.

Malaysian government started the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18th March 2020, as one of the initiatives to prevent the more massive outbreak of COVID-19. Recent statistics showed a rapid rise in the numbers of positive COVID-19 patients. However, the statistics on COVID-19 patients being discharged showed that the higher authority was very committed in managing COVID-19 crisis. This online study was conducted among 1,543 Malaysian adults using a validated questionnaire to explore more ϑindings on the Malaysian’s Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) level towards COVID19 prevention during the MCO period. Descriptive study and binary logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 22. This study showed that the majority of respondents have good KAP level regarding COVID-19 prevention. WhatsApp and Telegram were the primary sources of information used by the respondents. Education level was the main predictor for knowledge (OR: 2.083, CI: 1.605-2.702), attitude (OR:1.854, Ci; 1.42-2.42) and practice (OR: 1.745, CI; 1.326-2.096) regarding COVID-19 prevention (p<0.001). Knowledge (OR; 1.636, CI: 1.302-2.054) and practice (OR;2.328, CI: 1.858- 2.916) were predictors of attitude regarding COVID-19 prevention (p<0.001). In conclusion, total adherence to the Movement Control Order (MCO) along with public health interventions focusing on behavioral change may play vital roles in breaking the chain of infection.

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is crucial in flattening the COVID-19 infection curve. General population control measures should emphasise on understanding the knowledge about the disease and importance of following regulations related to restriction on movement. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a valid, reliable and practical instrument on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Measures for Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia. The instrument was developed based on a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) conceptual framework. The instrument in the form of a questionnaire was distributed online to a sample of 40 adults. The initial questionnaires contained 16, 17 and 14 questions on knowledge, attitude and practices domains, respectively. The content validity was assessed by the experts. The reliability of the instrument was measured using internal consistency reliability, which was measured using alpha coefficient reliability of Cronbach Alpha. The analysis showed that the total Cronbach Alpha value for knowledge, attitude and practice were 0.93, 0.89 and 0.87 respectively. After one item dropped from the attitude domain, the findings of this pilot study show that the instrument is valid and reliable to be used in a further larger study. This study demonstrated that the three scales of knowledge, attitude and practice were reliable and valid for assessing the prevention of spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia, although further analysis are needed to improve especially on the knowledge scale due to the low level of difficulty.