Development and validation of a nutrition education module for hyperlipidemia patients in Malaysia

In Malaysia, hyperlipidemia has affected more than 38% of adults and remains a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the country. Despite its high prevalence, adherence to dietary counselling among patients remains suboptimal, limiting the effectiveness of lipid management strategies. Moreover, there is currently no structured and validated nutrition education module specifically developed to support dietary counselling for hyperlipidemia in Malaysia. The main objective of this study was to explore the barriers and challenges to dietary counselling adherence among hyperlipidemia patients and to develop and validate a nutrition education module. This study employed a Developmental Research Design (DDR) consisting of three phases. Phase I involved a secondary analysis of interview data from ten patients with hyperlipidemia to explore the barriers associated with dietary adherence using thematic analysis. In phase II, findings from Phase I, together with national dietary guidelines, guided the development of the LipiGO Module. The module was designed using Canva and includes 51 full-colour pages across six key chapters. Lastly, Phase III involved content and face validation by six expert panels and ten patients with hyperlipidemia using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Face Validity Index (FVI), which were analysed using Microsoft Excel. As a result, the module demonstrated strong agreement across all items, confirming the module's scientific relevance, clarity, and usability. Suggestions provided were incorporated to improve clarity and alignment with current practices. In conclusion, the LipiGO Module is a valid nutrition education that can be used for both clinical counselling and independent patient use. This module has strong potential to enhance dietary counselling outcomes and improve lipid profile among hyperlipidemia patients in Malaysia.