| Summary: | Over the past few years, hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) has become a notable public health issue, with a notable impact on the health of young children. While the disease is generally self-limiting, severe cases can lead to complications and, in rare instances, result in fatal outcomes. Given its contagious nature and the potential for rapid transmission, HFMD poses a considerable threat to child health, warranting a closer examination of parental attitudes and behaviors in response to the disease. This research aims to delve into the intricate relationship between HFMD transmission and parents' risk perception, health beliefs, and preventive behaviors since parents play a pivotal role in shaping the health outcomes of their children. The collection of data used a validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire designed to assess preventive practices related to HFMD. During the HFMD outbreak in Malaysia, between May and June 2018, surveys were administered to preschools in the Seberang Jaya district of Pulau Pinang. Using random sampling, 297 participants completed the questionnaires through an online survey platform. The findings indicated that 40.9% of parents exhibited a high level of risk perception regarding HFMD. Additionally, 38.55% of parents demonstrated a strong overall knowledge of HFMD symptom beliefs. Among the perception factors, perceived susceptibility had the highest mean (13.23), followed by perceived benefit (12.99), perceived barrier (11.75), and perceived severity (10.7). As a result, although the value was tiny, the Pearson correlation test revealed a positive association between knowledge and preventative practices (r =0.32, p =0.008) and knowledge-health belief (r =0.25, p =0.005). Additionally, the findings demonstrated a strong association (r =0.68, p =0.001) between preventative behaviour and health beliefs. In conclusion, increase level of risk perception leads to good practice in preventive behaviour. © 2024 Author(s).
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