Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study

Abstract Introduction Smoking prevalence is high in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Kedah, according to the National Health Morbidity Survey 2019. Strengthening primary care smoking cessation services is crucial. This study aimed to identify factors associated with adherence to the Malaysian...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aneesa Abdul Rashid, Norazila Hashim, Premmla Devi Govadan, Punitha Surennaraina, Zarina Zakiah Zainuddin, Yoggeswary Nadarajan, Poey Ling Soo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-02-01
Series:Discover Social Science and Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00165-w
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850198091575066624
author Aneesa Abdul Rashid
Norazila Hashim
Premmla Devi Govadan
Punitha Surennaraina
Zarina Zakiah Zainuddin
Yoggeswary Nadarajan
Poey Ling Soo
author_facet Aneesa Abdul Rashid
Norazila Hashim
Premmla Devi Govadan
Punitha Surennaraina
Zarina Zakiah Zainuddin
Yoggeswary Nadarajan
Poey Ling Soo
author_sort Aneesa Abdul Rashid
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Introduction Smoking prevalence is high in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Kedah, according to the National Health Morbidity Survey 2019. Strengthening primary care smoking cessation services is crucial. This study aimed to identify factors associated with adherence to the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline on the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder among government primary care doctors in Kedah. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 163 public primary care doctors in the Kulim and Kuala Muda districts of Kedah. Knowledge, attitude, and practice related to smoking cessation guidelines were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Scores were categorized as good or poor. Good knowledge and practice required full marks, while good attitude was defined as scoring five or more out of ten. Associations between knowledge, attitude, sociodemographic, and practice were analysed. Results The majority of respondents were female (67.5%), Malay (65%), with a mean age of 35.4 ± 5.23 years. Most demonstrated good attitude (69.9%) but had poor knowledge (80.4%) and practice (86.5%) scores. Poor knowledge was significantly associated with poor practice (AOR = 3.331, p = 0.017). Conclusion Primary care doctors in the Kedah state demonstrated a positive attitude toward smoking cessation but exhibited gaps in knowledge and practice, with lower knowledge scores linked to poor practice. Targeted interventions, including guideline-focused training for non-specialists, new medical officers, and those without prior training, are recommended to enhance smoking cessation management.
format Article
id doaj-art-89795ac57e874f43ae2afaf8862b888d
institution OA Journals
issn 2731-0469
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Springer
record_format Article
series Discover Social Science and Health
spelling doaj-art-89795ac57e874f43ae2afaf8862b888d2025-08-20T02:12:58ZengSpringerDiscover Social Science and Health2731-04692025-02-01511910.1007/s44155-025-00165-wFactors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional studyAneesa Abdul Rashid0Norazila Hashim1Premmla Devi Govadan2Punitha Surennaraina3Zarina Zakiah Zainuddin4Yoggeswary Nadarajan5Poey Ling Soo6Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra MalaysiaKlinik Kesihatan LunasKlinik Kesihatan Guar ChempedakKlinik Kesihatan Bakar Arang815 Rumah Sakit Angkatan Tentera (RSAT)Klinik Kesihatan BedongKlinik Bersatu Simpang Ampat. 21Abstract Introduction Smoking prevalence is high in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Kedah, according to the National Health Morbidity Survey 2019. Strengthening primary care smoking cessation services is crucial. This study aimed to identify factors associated with adherence to the Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline on the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder among government primary care doctors in Kedah. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 163 public primary care doctors in the Kulim and Kuala Muda districts of Kedah. Knowledge, attitude, and practice related to smoking cessation guidelines were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Scores were categorized as good or poor. Good knowledge and practice required full marks, while good attitude was defined as scoring five or more out of ten. Associations between knowledge, attitude, sociodemographic, and practice were analysed. Results The majority of respondents were female (67.5%), Malay (65%), with a mean age of 35.4 ± 5.23 years. Most demonstrated good attitude (69.9%) but had poor knowledge (80.4%) and practice (86.5%) scores. Poor knowledge was significantly associated with poor practice (AOR = 3.331, p = 0.017). Conclusion Primary care doctors in the Kedah state demonstrated a positive attitude toward smoking cessation but exhibited gaps in knowledge and practice, with lower knowledge scores linked to poor practice. Targeted interventions, including guideline-focused training for non-specialists, new medical officers, and those without prior training, are recommended to enhance smoking cessation management.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00165-wKnowledgeAttitudePracticeSmoking cessationDoctorsPrimary healthcare
spellingShingle Aneesa Abdul Rashid
Norazila Hashim
Premmla Devi Govadan
Punitha Surennaraina
Zarina Zakiah Zainuddin
Yoggeswary Nadarajan
Poey Ling Soo
Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
Discover Social Science and Health
Knowledge
Attitude
Practice
Smoking cessation
Doctors
Primary healthcare
title Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
title_full Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
title_fullStr Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
title_short Factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern Malaysia: a cross sectional study
title_sort factors associated with practice of smoking cessation guidelines among primary care doctors in northern malaysia a cross sectional study
topic Knowledge
Attitude
Practice
Smoking cessation
Doctors
Primary healthcare
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-025-00165-w
work_keys_str_mv AT aneesaabdulrashid factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT norazilahashim factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT premmladevigovadan factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT punithasurennaraina factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT zarinazakiahzainuddin factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT yoggeswarynadarajan factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy
AT poeylingsoo factorsassociatedwithpracticeofsmokingcessationguidelinesamongprimarycaredoctorsinnorthernmalaysiaacrosssectionalstudy