Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
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Knowledge of Sarcopenia and Associated Factors Among the Malaysian General Public: A Cross-sectional Study

  • Soon Lean Keng (School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia) ;
  • Noor Hazlisa Che Seman (Department of Nursing, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University) ;
  • K.Mangaikresh Krishnan (Department of Nursing, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University) ;
  • Chook Jack Bee (Department of Medical Science, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University) ;
  • Joyce Leong Whye Sook (Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society) ;
  • Siti Fairuz Ismail (School of Occupational Therapy, Perdana University) ;
  • Ooi Pei Boon (Department of Medical Science, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University) ;
  • Peh Suat Cheng (Department of Medical Science, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University)
  • Received : 2022.09.06
  • Accepted : 2023.02.20
  • Published : 2023.03.31
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Abstract

Objectives: Sarcopenia has emerged as a significant aging-related disease that affects many facets of societal-level and patient-level public health. This study analysed knowledge of sarcopenia and associated socio-demographic factors among the general public of Malaysia in order to effectively improve its prevention and countermeasures. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Selangor, Malaysia, using Google Forms among 202 Malaysian adults from January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge scores. The continuous variables were evaluated using the independent t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and one-way analysis of variance test. The Spearman correlation coefficient was employed to determine the correlation between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge score levels. Results: The final analysis included 202 participants. The mean±standard deviation age was 49.03±12.65. Only 6.9% of participants had good knowledge of sarcopenia and were aware of sarcopenia's characteristics, consequences, and treatments. Post-hoc comparisons using the Dunnett T3 test showed statistical significance in mean knowledge score and age group (p=0.011) and education level (p≤0.001). The Mann-Whitney test revealed that gender (p=0.026) and current smoking status (p=0.023) significantly influenced knowledge scores. Conclusions: The general public's knowledge of sarcopenia was found to be poor to moderate and associated with age and education status. Therefore, education and interventions by policymakers and healthcare professionals to improve public knowledge of sarcopenia in Malaysia are needed.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

All authors would like to thank Professor Andrea B Maier for her material about sarcopenia. We would also like to thank all Malaysian public members residing in Selangor who participated in the online survey.

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