Chuo Yew Ting1, Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab2, Kah Seng Lee3, Robin Tiow-Heng Tan4, Long Chiau Ming2,5. 1. 1 Pharmaceutical Services Division, Sarawak State Health Department, Malaysia. 2. 2 Vector-borne Diseases Research Group (VERDI), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. 3. 3 Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. 4. 4 Pharmaceutical Services Division, Malacca State Health Department, Malaysia. 5. 5 Unit for Medication Outcomes Research and Education (UMORE), Pharmacy, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Because of the large size of Sarawak and the high proportion of people residing in rural areas in this Malaysian state, disseminating drug-related information there can be challenging. It is, therefore, important to recognize the type of mass media for drug-related information that are salient to the people of Sarawak. This study was aimed at identifying the use of and the preferences for mass media to obtain drug-related information among the public in Sarawak. We also aimed to recognize the media perceived as the most reliable for drug-related information. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire carried out from September to October 2013. Survey respondents were recruited from 4 divisions in Sarawak: Kuching, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu. RESULTS: A total of 433 completed questionnaires were obtained at the end of the study period. All respondents had access to common mass media such as television (89.8%, 389/433), radio (68.6%, 297/433), and the Internet (66.1%, 286/433). Among all respondents, television (71.4%, 309/433) was noted as the most preferred media for drug-related information. Compared with rural respondents, urban respondents were significantly more likely to have access to and prefer the Internet to obtain drug-related information. On the other hand, rural respondents were more likely to have access to and prefer radio for such information compared to their urban counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Television can be an important and attractive choice of mass media in a quality use of medicines (QUM) campaign. The Internet can be used to disseminate drug-related information in urban areas, whereas radio can be used in a QUM campaign targeting the rural public.
BACKGROUND: Because of the large size of Sarawak and the high proportion of people residing in rural areas in this Malaysian state, disseminating drug-related information there can be challenging. It is, therefore, important to recognize the type of mass media for drug-related information that are salient to the people of Sarawak. This study was aimed at identifying the use of and the preferences for mass media to obtain drug-related information among the public in Sarawak. We also aimed to recognize the media perceived as the most reliable for drug-related information. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire carried out from September to October 2013. Survey respondents were recruited from 4 divisions in Sarawak: Kuching, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu. RESULTS: A total of 433 completed questionnaires were obtained at the end of the study period. All respondents had access to common mass media such as television (89.8%, 389/433), radio (68.6%, 297/433), and the Internet (66.1%, 286/433). Among all respondents, television (71.4%, 309/433) was noted as the most preferred media for drug-related information. Compared with rural respondents, urban respondents were significantly more likely to have access to and prefer the Internet to obtain drug-related information. On the other hand, rural respondents were more likely to have access to and prefer radio for such information compared to their urban counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Television can be an important and attractive choice of mass media in a quality use of medicines (QUM) campaign. The Internet can be used to disseminate drug-related information in urban areas, whereas radio can be used in a QUM campaign targeting the rural public.
Entities:
Keywords:
Internet; drug information; mass media; perception; quality use of medicine; social media
Authors: Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab; Muhammad Mustaqim Jalani; Khang Wen Goh; Long Chiau Ming; Erwin Martinez Faller Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-02 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab; Nurfarah Nadiah Abd Hamid; Ali Omar Yassen; Mohd Javed Naim; Javed Ahamad; Nur Wahida Zulkifli; Farhana Fakhira Ismail; Muhammad Harith Zulkifli; Khang Wen Goh; Long Chiau Ming Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-09-20 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Ishpa Shapiah Abdullah; Li Ling Chaw; David Koh; Zahid Hussain; Khang Wen Goh; Asma A'tiyah Abdul Hamid; Long Chiau Ming Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-02-24 Impact factor: 3.390