Journal Articles

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14170/1816

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Browsing Journal Articles by Subject "Attitude"
  • Publication
    Attitudes toward Plasmodium knowlesi Malaria prevention behaviours among at-risk communities and health district officers’ efforts and challenges in promoting these behaviours: an elicitation study in Peninsular Malaysia
    (UKM Press, 2023)
    Arina Anis Azlan
    ;
    Hazwani Damanhuri
    ;
    Mohammad Rezal Hamzah
    ;
    Hafizah Pasi
    ;
    Emma Mohamad
    This study explores at-risk communities’ attitudes toward Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi) malaria prevention behaviours using the Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) as a guiding framework. This study also presents efforts and challenges faced by district health officers in Peninsular Malaysia in their role as the health authority for mitigating the disease. Seventeen informants were selected from at-risk areas in three states with high cases of P. knowlesi in 2019 (Johor, Pahang, Kelantan) to be interviewed. Semistructured interview questions were developed guided by the IBM framework. Three district health officers who were involved in malaria prevention efforts in the selected states were also interviewed. Qualitative data analysis using Atlas.ti 8 software was used to facilitate thematic coding. Five prevention behaviours were found to be prevalent among the informants and are hypothesised to be suited for behavioural improvement intervention among at-risk communities. The prevention behaviours identified are: consuming prophylaxis, wearing long sleeves, using bed nets, mosquito coils and insect repellent. Current efforts by health district officers for P. knowlesi malaria prevention include erecting warning signs, community education programmes, and empowering community influencers. Challenges faced by the health district officers include difficulty accessing remote locations, limited facilities, and military-specific issues. This study suggests that future prevention efforts focused on behavioural improvement among atrisk communities in Malaysia should concentrate on the five prevention efforts most prevalent among these communities.
  • Publication
    Entrepreneurial intention among university students of a developing economy: the mediating role of access to finance and entrepreneurship program
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024)
    Mohammad Shibli Shahriar
    ;
    Md Sharif Hassan
    ;
    Md. Aminul Islam
    ;
    Farid Ahammad Sobhani
    ;
    Md Touhidul Islam
    This study addresses Bangladesh’s unemployment problem and its youth’s limited entrepreneurial aspiration focusing on critical factors that influence entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Bangladesh. Recognizing universities’ role in fostering entrepreneurship, the study aims to identify these determinants, bridging a gap in literature in the context of Bangladesh. Built upon an extended theory of planned behavior, the study incorporates ‘access to finance’ and ‘entrepreneurship program’ as mediators. This framework examines the relationships of ‘attitude’, ‘subjective norms’, ‘perceived behavioral control’, ‘entrepreneurship program’, ‘access to finance’, and their collective impact on entrepreneurial intentions. Utilizing stratified random sampling, the researchers collected data from 394 students across 23 selected Bangladeshi universities offering entrepreneurship programs encompassing Faculty of Business & Entrepreneurship and Faculty of Science & Engineering. The study employed Structural equation modeling (SEM) for analyzing the data. The findings revealed that there were positive relationships between ‘entrepreneurial intention’ and ‘attitude’, ‘subjective norms’, ‘perceived behavioral control’, ‘entrepreneurship program’, and ‘access to finance’. The findings have practical implications for Bangladesh’s government and educational institutes when it comes to promoting entrepreneurship programs extensively. The empirical results clearly demonstrate that the integration of access to finance and practical entrepreneurship programs significantly boosts the entrepreneurial aspirations of university students, encouraging them to pursue entrepreneurship as a career path. This, in turn, contributes to the advancement of economic sustainability in Bangladesh. These outcomes are consistent with the overarching aims of Sustainable Development Goal 8, which strives to foster continuous economic growth, generate employment prospects, and ensure decent work opportunities, particularly for the youth. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group