Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Monosodium Glutamate among Staff in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department.

Introduction: The prevalence of hypertension among Malaysian adults in 2019 was 30.0%. A study found that sodium intake among Ministry of Health staff was high, as the main source of sodium in their diet was soy sauce which included monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a food additive. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards MSG among the staff in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Health Department. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling. The validated KAP questionnaire form was disseminated online consisted of 11 questions in three main parts. There were 182 staff (18-59 years old) who participated in this study. Results: The results showed that the staff have high knowledge (91.8%), a negative attitude (42.9%), and inadequate practice (54.9%) on MSG. For the overall KAP score on MSG, the majority of the staff indicated a good score (56.0%). Those who were married were significantly associated (p<0.05) with a good score in knowledge, practice, and overall score (χ² =15.662). Female staff had significantly higher (p<0.05) practice and overall scores (χ² = 8.470), whereas subjects aged 33-39 had significantly (p<0.05) better practice (χ2 =15.182). Health staff have significantly (p<0.05) higher knowledge, practice, and overall scores compared to non-health staff. Conclusion: These results showed that the higher knowledge of the staff on MSG was associated with practice. This study can be used as an effective basic strategy for health programs to expand knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate a healthy lifestyle by reducing the intake of MSG and sodium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]