AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER AMONG PEOPLE IN PAHANG
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v5i3.383Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), awareness, attitude, knowledgeAbstract
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) worldwide has risen steadily. However, many ASD cases remain unrecognized. There is a need for adequate awareness and knowledge among parents and the community for earlier recognition, diagnosis, and intervention. Objective: This study evaluated participants about awareness, knowledge, and attitude toward ASD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among participants of the Pahang Autism Symposium. All participants, who fulfilled the study criteria were invited into the study. Those who consented were given a validated Malay version questionnaire which consists of 20 items assessing awareness, knowledge, and attitude on ASD. It was a self-administered questionnaire, answered by the respondents, and collected back by the researchers before the beginning of symposium lectures. Descriptive analysis, simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were used in the study, with knowledge and attitude as the dependent variables. Results: A total of 131 participants were involved in the study. Almost all of them (99.2%) had heard about ASD. Overall, 61.1% of them had good knowledge and 78.6% had a good attitude on ASD. Education level was found to be significantly associated with knowledge and attitude. Those with tertiary education were 2.6 times odds to have good knowledge and 2.6 times odds to have a good attitude, as compared to those with lower education. Conclusion: The community already had some awareness about ASD but still insufficient in terms of knowledge and attitudes toward them. Efforts should also be carried out to provide the best healthcare to individuals with ASD.
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