Knowledge, Perception and Practice Towards Microplastic Contamination in Human Body among Community in Ampang, Selangor and the Associated Sociodemographic Factors

Abstract

Introduction: Microplastic pollution in the environment has already been visible for years, yet exposure and risks to humans were underexplored. Human’s risk perception regarding microplastic contamination was overlooked although a new study proved that microplastics existed in human blood. This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge, perception, and practice towards microplastic contamination in human body and the associated sociodemographic factors among community in Ampang, Selangor. Methods: An observational analytic with cross-sectional study was conducted. Malaysian residents aged 18 and above were recruited by cluster sampling method. A validated and pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the sociodemographic data, knowledge, perception and practice scores of 437 respondents. Questionnaires were distributed both physically and virtually. Results: The studied community obtained a high level of knowledge (51.0%), positive perception (39.8%) and moderate level of practice (44.2%) regarding microplastic contamination in humans. Age, education, marital and employment status were significantly correlated with all knowledge, perception and practice (p<0.05). Gender was highly associated with both perception and practice while income level and family history of disease were related to practice level only (p<0.05). Furthermore, practice level is significantly associated with both knowledge (X2=115.718, p<0.001) and perception (X2=140.850, p<0.001). Among all factors, perception is the main predictor of practice where people with neutral perception having poor practice is 52.8 times greater than the odds of people with positive perception. Conclusion: Among all factors studied, perception is the main predictor of practice in preventing microplastic contamination in the human body.