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TL;DR
This cross-sectional survey of 500 Malaysian adults found significant public knowledge gaps about viral hepatitis and NAFLD, despite good general awareness of liver health and agreement on the importance of screening.
European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology · 3 authors, 3 centres
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This cross-sectional survey of 500 Malaysian adults found significant public knowledge gaps about viral hepatitis and NAFLD, despite good general awareness of liver health and agreement on the importance of screening.
This cross-sectional, web-based study surveyed 500 Malaysian adults to assess knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward liver diseases. The methods involved a self-reported questionnaire administered between February and March 2020. Key results showed limited awareness of different hepatitis types, their transmission, and complications, and low knowledge of NAFLD risk factors and screening. While 92.8% agreed regular screening was important, only 67.0% had a recent health screening. Barriers to seeking care included perceiving oneself as healthy, cost, and fear of societal discrimination. The study is limited by its self-reported, non-validated data, potential recall bias, and inability to establish causal associations. The authors conclude that robust education efforts are needed, especially for viral hepatitis and NAFLD, to empower the community.