A randomised controlled trial comparing online versus face-to-face smoking cessation course for Malaysian dental officer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/ijohs.v5i2.276Keywords:
active learning, dental officer, online learning, smoking cessationAbstract
Oral health professionals play a vital role in tobacco cessation efforts, but there is a notable gap in their training and skills in this area. Online Smoking Cessation Course was developed by UiTM to benefit the oral health professionals however it has not been evaluated yet. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of online smoking cessation module in comparison with the face-to-face method, in term of the level knowledge. This randomized controlled trial involved 185 new dental officers from four states in Peninsular Malaysia, divided into online and face-to-face (F2F) delivery groups. They were assessed using validated questionnaire, both pre- and post-intervention. The results showed that both the control (F2F) and intervention (online) groups demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge post-training. The control group's average score increased from 6.05 to 7.99, while the intervention group saw an increase from 6.22 to 8.20, with both groups showing statistically significant improvements (p< 0.001). This indicates the effectiveness of the smoking cessation course in enhancing knowledge. The study concluded that the online module is suitable for new dental officers, equipping them with knowledge and skills for smoking cessation counselling as it found that online delivery is as effective as F2F training. This suggests that online training could provide a more cost-effective and accessible method for future smoking cessation training, reaching a broader audience.
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