Publication: Effectiveness of smartshield sexual abuse prevention in primary school children in Malaysia
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Date
2026-01
Authors
Pa, Mohamad Najib Mat
Journal Title
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Abstract
Child sexual abuse is a silent health emergency, with serious consequences for
children. School-based education helps children recognize unsafe situations and
protect themselves. This study aimed to determine the usability of the SmartShield
modules, validate the questionnaires, determine the proportion of knowledge, attitude,
and skills for sexual abuse prevention and compare the effectiveness of SmartShield
modules than classroom-based pedagogical approaches among primary school
children. Phase 1 was a cross-sectional study using the validated Malay System
Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, involving 30 parents and teachers through
convenient sampling. SmartShield 1 for lower primary and SmartShield 2 for upper
primary questionnaires were developed. Content validity assessed by six experts, face
validity by 10 teachers, and internal structure assessment by 167 primary school
children. Phase 2 involved a cross-sectional study employing stratified multistage
cluster sampling with single proportion formula estimated 900 school children using
validated SmartShield questionnaires. A descriptive analysis was conducted. Phase 3
was a quasi-experimental controlled trial with pre- and post-assessments at baseline,
Week 2, and Week 4. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted. Phase 1, the median
(IQR) SUS score for SmartShield 1 was 95.0 (89.38, 98.13), and SmartShield 2 was
96.3 (87.5, 100.0). Content validity for knowledge, attitude, and skills of SmartShield
1 were 0.85, 0.98, and 0.95, respectively, and for SmartShield 2 were 0.90, 0.94, and
0.94, respectively. Phase 2, 48.1% of lower primary children had high knowledge, 39.8% had positive attitudes, and 78.5% had good skills. For upper primary, the figures
were 59.9%, 41.4%, and 78.9%, respectively. Phase 3, there were significant
differences in score changes for knowledge (p < .001), attitude (p = .015) and skills (p
< .001) for lower primary school children. There were significant differences in score
changes for knowledge (p < .001), attitude (p < .001) and skills (p < .001) for upper
primary school children. SmartShield questionnaires are valid tools for evaluating
knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to sexual education. 48% to 60% have a high
knowledge, 40% have positive attitudes toward sexual education, and 78% have good
skills in preventing sexual abuse. The SmartShield 1 and SmartShield 2 module was
effective than classroom-based pedagogical approaches and should be considered for
integration into the national school curriculum.