Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards anaemia among female university students in Malaysia: a cross-sectional survey

Huong, Cheryl and Jing, Lin Chua and Rui, Yi Ng and Dhanashri Kshitij Panse, . and Snigdha Misra, . and Afshan Sumera, . (2022) Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards anaemia among female university students in Malaysia: a cross-sectional survey. Malaysian Journal of Nutrition (Malaysia), 28 (2). pp. 203-215. ISSN 1394 – 035X

Introduction: Anaemia is a common health problem in Malaysia, most common being iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and health-seeking behaviour (HSB) towards anaemia among undergraduate female students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 female university students from a medical university in Malaysia. Data were collected using an online questionnaire comprising KAP and HSB. SPSS version 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Most participants (60%) had an appropriate level of knowledge about anaemia. A positive attitude was shown with adequate awareness of anaemia. A total of 55.5% of participants reported having good health practices. However, 52.9% of the participants consumed less iron-rich foods and 81.7% reported skipping meals. The overall observed healthseeking behaviour was good. A statistically significant relationship was found between knowledge with attitude (p=0.003) and practice (p=0.005). This study observed that the study population had poor nutritional status, long menstrual duration, and vegetarianism. Moreover, infrequent consumption of vitamin C-rich fruits and low iron-folate supplementation were also observed. Conclusion: A good level of knowledge on IDA among students was noted. However, most of the students showed a lack of positive attitude and good practices towards preventing anaemia. University students are prone to IDA due to a lack of KAP, which can significantly affect health-seeking behaviour. This issue should not be neglected; therefore, implementing intervention programmes to educate students on the preventive measures against the risk factors of IDA is recommended.

Full text available from: Official URL: https://www.nutriweb.org.my/mjn/publication/28-2/V...

Abstract

Introduction: Anaemia is a common health problem in Malaysia, most common being iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, practices (KAP), and health-seeking behaviour (HSB) towards anaemia among undergraduate female students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 female university students from a medical university in Malaysia. Data were collected using an online questionnaire comprising KAP and HSB. SPSS version 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Most participants (60%) had an appropriate level of knowledge about anaemia. A positive attitude was shown with adequate awareness of anaemia. A total of 55.5% of participants reported having good health practices. However, 52.9% of the participants consumed less iron-rich foods and 81.7% reported skipping meals. The overall observed healthseeking behaviour was good. A statistically significant relationship was found between knowledge with attitude (p=0.003) and practice (p=0.005). This study observed that the study population had poor nutritional status, long menstrual duration, and vegetarianism. Moreover, infrequent consumption of vitamin C-rich fruits and low iron-folate supplementation were also observed. Conclusion: A good level of knowledge on IDA among students was noted. However, most of the students showed a lack of positive attitude and good practices towards preventing anaemia. University students are prone to IDA due to a lack of KAP, which can significantly affect health-seeking behaviour. This issue should not be neglected; therefore, implementing intervention programmes to educate students on the preventive measures against the risk factors of IDA is recommended.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	anaemia
AGROVOC Term:	diet
AGROVOC Term:	folic acid
AGROVOC Term:	surveys
AGROVOC Term:	students
AGROVOC Term:	food consumption
AGROVOC Term:	risk factors
AGROVOC Term:	nutritional status
AGROVOC Term:	awareness-raising
Geographical Term:	Malaysia
Uncontrolled Keywords:	anaemia, health-seeking behaviour, knowledge attitude practice
Depositing User:	Ms. Azariah Hashim
Date Deposited:	19 Mar 2026 02:17
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2026 02:17
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/2830

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