Discrepancies and Similarities in Attitudes, Beliefs, and Familiarity with Vaccination Between Religious Studies and Science Students in Malaysia: A Comparison Study.

Little is known about the impact of religion on vaccine receptivity in Malaysia. Improved vaccine uptake is positively reflected in the reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases. This study aimed to explore and compare the attitudes, religious beliefs, and familiarity regarding vaccination between the religious studies and science students. A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted between a convenient sample of students (N = 300) of religious studies and applied sciences in Kuantan, Malaysia. A new, face- and content-validated questionnaire was used for data collection. A total of 206 students responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 86.6%. Overall, participants demonstrated positive attitudes towards vaccination (n = 185, 89.9%). Only a minority of respondents expressed an opposition to vaccination (n = 21, 10.2%). Religious factors (permissibility) of vaccines (n = 12, 57.1%) and harm associated with the vaccine (n = 13, 61.9%) were the most common reasons for not supporting vaccination among the non-supporters. Most (n = 135, 65.5%) respondents agreed that vaccination is parallel with the Islamic concept of protecting life and preventing harm. Almost half of the respondents (n = 98, 47.6%) admit to declaring "Fatwa" to oblige parents to vaccinate their children. Religious beliefs and safety issues surrounding immunisation were reported as the major barriers for the support of immunisation. Well-designed programs are recommended to reshape the religious beliefs and convictions among students toward vaccination.

Use, Awareness, Knowledge and Beliefs of Medication During Pregnancy in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess medication use in pregnant women in Malaysia by measuring use, knowledge, awareness, and beliefs about medications. METHODS: This was an observational, cross-sectional study involving a total of 447 pregnant women who attended the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), Malaysia. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect participant data. RESULTS: Most of pregnant women had taken medication during pregnancy and more than half of them (52.8%) showed a poor level of knowledge about the medication use during pregnancy. Eighty-three percent had a poor level of awareness and 56.5% had negative beliefs. Age and education level were significantly associated with the level of knowledge regarding medication use during pregnancy. Multiparous pregnant women, and pregnant women from rural areas were observed to have a higher level of awareness compared with those who lived in urban areas. Use of medication during pregnancy was determined to be significantly associated with education level, and race. CONCLUSION: Although there was prevalent use of medication among pregnant women, many had negative beliefs, and insufficient knowledge and awareness about the risks of taking medication during pregnancy. Several sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with the use (race and education level), level of knowledge (age and education level), awareness (parity and place of residence), and beliefs (race, education level, and occupation status) towards medication use during pregnancy.