Browse publications by year: 2017

Fulltext The advantages of concept mapping care plan in clinical practices

Rusnani Ab Latif, Akehsan Dahlan, Zamzaliza Abdul Mulud, Mohd Zarawi Mat Nor

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2017;9(2):52-57.
MyJurnal

Excellence in academic and practical skills is the main goal of most nursing educators. It is a tool to measure the level of success of the nurse educators. Concept mapping care plan is related to the expectation that today's nursing students must master a constantly expanding body of knowledge and apply complex skills in rapidly changing environment. Concept mapping care plan was developed by researcher and validated by ten expert panels using three rounds of Delphi technique. It was used to evaluate academic performance of nursing students at clinical practice. Concept mapping care plan is a good assessment tool to nursing educators to prepare nursing students for better critical thinking and expected to function effectively after graduation. The goal of concept mapping care plan as a teaching strategy during the clinical practices, help the students to integrate the knowledge from theory and implementing this knowledge in the clinical setting. Researcher believes that concept mapping care plan can be as a replacement of nursing process that have been practiced before in the clinical setting. In addition, through concept mapping care plan provides an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge and become more creative.

MeSH terms: Delphi Technique; Faculty, Nursing; Goals; Nursing Process; Students, Nursing; Knowledge
Fulltext Review on HIV among women in nursing perspective

Mardiana Mansor

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2017;9(1):81-88.
MyJurnal

The article review was to identify, discuss, explore, critically analyze and evaluate the scenario of Human ImmunodeficiencyVirus (HIV) among women in nursing perspective taking into account global perspective. The current aim is to reduce the number of HIV globally, especially among women. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is considered as a disease state of hopelessness and imminent death. HIV and AIDS status demotivate the women emotionally in physical, social, and emotional perspectives. HIV-positive women portray of AIDS is deeply discrediting; with physical failure, moral failure, and social ostracism.

MeSH terms: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Death; Emotions; Female; Humans; Morals; HIV Infections
Fulltext The association between the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and anthropometric indices among university’s staff

Hasmiza Halib, Nur Amalina Hamdan, Napisah Hussin, Noramilin Shafie

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(102):0-0.
MyJurnal

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is broadly used as an adjunct treatment for patients to treat various kinds of disease, prevent disease and to sustain and enhance quality of life of the users. The study is aimed to investigate the association between CAM uses, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and anthropometric indices among workers or staffs in Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Gong Badak Campus, Kuala Terengganu. A total of 300 subjects participated in this study and completed the malay version of modified HRQol (SF-12) questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements among the subjects were done. Independent t-test, One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used to test the association and the hypotheses. The prevalence of CAM users was 37.3%. The results showed that bodily pain score domain was significantly higher among non-CAM users. Overall, male had higher Mental Health Composite Score (MCS) score than female. Physical Health Composite Score (PCS) was only correlated negatively with BMI among non-CAM users but negative correlated with body fat percentage in both CAM and non-CAM users. As conclusion, HRQoL had significant negative correlation with body fat percentage among CAM users. No association was found between CAM use and HRQoL scores.

MeSH terms: Adipose Tissue; Complementary Therapies; Analysis of Variance; Eugenol; Female; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Mental Health; Pain; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Zinc Oxide; Body Mass Index; Prevalence
Fulltext Sociodemographic determinants of obesity among 12 years old school adolescents in Kuala Terengganu and Besut districts, Malaysia

Nurzaime Zulaily, Aryati Ahmad, Mohd Razif Shahril, Sharifah Wajihah Wafa Syed Saadun Tarek Wafa, Nor Saidah Abd Manan, Engku Fadzli Hassan Syed Abdullah, et al.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(102):0-0.
MyJurnal

Worldwide prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents increased substantially over decades. Addressing potential risk factors of obesity among adolescents is very important for a successful intervention program in this population. The present study aimed to identify the sociodemographic determinants of obesity among school adolescents in Terengganu. A cross-sectional survey involving 3,798 school adolescents age 12 years old from 136 government primary schools in Kuala Terengganu and Besut districts were carried out from November 2014 to June 2015. For the purpose of this paper, the data for 2,842 school adolescents classified as either normal BMI (< +1SD) (n= 2,305) or obese (+2SD) (n= 537) based on WHO cut-off points were taken for analysis. Sociodemographic information on subjects and their parents were obtained from self-reported questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were conducted by Physical Education teachers and uploaded into a specific developed database. The prevalence of obesity was relatively high in both genders in this study. Binary logistic regression analysis found gender, parental BMI, household income, household size and maternal working status were independently associated with obesity among school adolescents in this population. In the final model, being male, having working mother, and having obese parents were identified to be potential risk factors for obesity whilst having large household size lower the risk of obesity among these adolescents. Prevention programs are needed to increase awareness about the risk factors of obesity in adolescent and interventions should now focus on family member as well mainly the parents.

MeSH terms: Adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Government; Humans; Male; Mothers; Obesity; Parents; Physical Education and Training; Risk Factors; Schools; World Health Organization; Body Mass Index; Prevalence; Logistic Models; Self Report
Fulltext Urban and rural inequality in knowledge, attitude and practice on haze pollution episode in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Vethanayagam, James N., How, V.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(101):0-0.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Transboundary haze occurred was primarily derived from seasonal forest fires which has highly been concerned of the health effect on the local community. As awareness of the source and dangers of smoke haze spread, Malaysian government increasingly came under pressure from the public and civil society at the national, state, and district level to address the haze issues. However, the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) inequalities of urban and rural community could be a barrier in promoting awareness on haze. Objective: To determine the urban and rural inequality in KAP on haze. Methodology: A total of 400 urban and rural residents from Klang Valley was recruited to participate in this study. A validated survey form was used as the study instrument which composed of four parts: (1) Sociodemographic information, (2) Haze knowledge, (3) Attitude (concerns) during haze episodes, (4) Practices (protective behaviors) to prevent against the health effects of haze. Result: There were significant differences of KAP on transboundary haze among urban-rural population. Urban population has higher knowledge and protective behaviors on hazes; however, both the rural-urban residents presented moderate levels of concerns on hazes. Conclusion: It is necessary to provide timely information (knowledge and practices) on haze to rural residents, at the same time, improve the urban residents’ concerns (attitudes) over the haze phenomenon. This will help to raise the overall awareness level to transboundary haze by translating into a state of the resilient community.
Fulltext The association between climatic factors and dengue fever: a study in Subang Jaya and Sepang, Selangor

Nik Syaza Lina Nik Ruzman, Haliza Abdul Rahman

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(101):0-0.
MyJurnal

Dengue fever is one of the most dangerous vector-borne diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection caused by virus serotype DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. In Malaysia, dengue fever cases are on the rise from 6,000 cases in 1995 to over 40,000 in 2010, and this number is still rising. In 2014, the increase of dengue fever cases was alarming. It was reported that up to the end of the year 2014, there were 108,698 notified cases, indicating an increment of 151% compared to the same period of time in 2013 with only 43,346 reported cases. Selangor was the highest contributor of dengue fever cases in 2014. The objective of this paper is to study the relationship between climatic factors namely temperature, rainfall and humidity to the prevalence of dengue fever in Subang Jaya and Sepang district, Selangor. Data on monthly average temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and dengue fever cases for each month in 2014 and 2013 were collected. Data collection was dealt with a few institutions such as Malaysian Meteorological Department, Subang Jaya and Sepang Municipal Council and health district offices. Data were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Version 20. General linear model analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the climatic variables and dengue prevalence. Results and Discussion: Based on the general linear model, rainfall and humidity were found to have significant relationships to monthly dengue fever cases (p=

MeSH terms: Animals; Dengue; Dengue Virus; Humidity; Malaysia; Culicidae; Social Sciences; Temperature; World Health Organization; Prevalence; Linear Models; Meteorology; Serogroup
Fulltext Effect of psychiatric clinical postings on attitudes among student nurses at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Norida Muhammad, Chan, Siok Gim

The Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 2017;8(3):3-10.
MyJurnal

Nurses play a key role in caring for the mentally ill and in rehabilitating them after an episode of illness. The nurses' attitude towards a patient is generally considered to be one of the basic factors contributing to the administration of total therapeutic nursing care. The purpose of this study was to examine whether attitudes towards mental patients improve after psychiatric attachment as well as the relationship between attitudes to psychiatry and intention to pursue psychiatry as a career. The study was conducted on sixty nursing students of fifth semester at the Kolej Kejururawatan Kubang Kerian, Kelantan who are doing their psychiatric postings in Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu. The sampling technique for this study was convenient sampling. The instrument used for this study surveyed questionnaire developed by Brenda Happell (Happell, 2008). This quasi-experimental study measured changes in students' attitudes and satisfaction with clinical experience following a placement in mental health nursing. The questionnaire was administered to the nursing students on the first and last day of their psychiatric clinical placement session. The findings suggested that clinical experience during psychiatric clinical posting can positively influence attitudes, preparedness for practice and the popularity of mental health nursing. Satisfaction with clinical experience was also high. The findings of this study suggest that clinical postings had positive effects on nursing students' attitudes towards psychiatric patients and confidence in this field of practice.

Study site: Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Kota Bharu

MeSH terms: Hospitals; Nursing
Fulltext Electrospun Pectin-Polyhydroxybutyrate Nanofibers for Retinal Tissue Engineering

Chan SY, Chan BQY, Liu Z, Parikh BH, Zhang K, Lin Q, et al.

ACS Omega, 2017 Dec 31;2(12):8959-8968.
PMID: 30023596 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b01604

Natural polysaccharide pectin has for the first time been grafted with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) via ring-opening polymerization of β-butyrolactone. This copolymer, pectin-polyhydroxybutyrate (pec-PHB), was blended with PHB in various proportions and electrospun to produce nanofibers that exhibited uniform and bead-free nanostructures, suggesting the miscibility of PHB and pec-PHB. These nanofiber blends exhibited reduced fiber diameters from 499 to 336-426 nm and water contact angles from 123.8 to 88.2° on incorporation of pec-PHB. They also displayed 39-335% enhancement of elongation at break relative to pristine PHB nanofibers. pec-PHB nanofibers were found to be noncytotoxic and biocompatible. Human retinal pigmented epithelium (ARPE-19) cells were seeded onto pristine PHB and pec-PHB nanofibers as scaffold and showed good proliferation. Higher proportions of pec-PHB (pec-PHB10 and pec-PHB20) yielded higher densities of cells with similar characteristics to normal RPE cells. We propose, therefore, that nanofibers of pec-PHB have significant potential as retinal tissue engineering scaffold materials.
Fulltext Ag/AgFeO2: An Outstanding Magnetically Responsive Photocatalyst for HeLa Cell Eradication

Chuah XF, Lee KT, Cheng YC, Lee PF, Lu SY

ACS Omega, 2017 Aug 31;2(8):4261-4268.
PMID: 30023720 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00698

A superfast, room-temperature, one-step carrier-solvent-assisted interfacial reaction process was developed to prepare Ag/AgFeO2 composite nanocrystals (NCs) of less than 10 nm in size within a 1 min reaction time. These composite NCs were with a direct energy band gap of 2.0 eV and were paramagnetic, making them suitable for optical activation and magnetic manipulation. These composite NCs, applied as a photocatalyst for the treatment of HeLa cells, achieved a significant reduction of 74% in cell viability within 30 min. These Ag/AgFeO2 composite NCs proved to be a promising magnetically guidable photocatalyst for cancer cell treatment.
Fulltext What it takes to set up travel health services: a review from countries with established service

Muhammad Haikal Ghazali, Shamsul Azhar Shah, Mohd Rizal Abd Manaf

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(3):0-0.
MyJurnal

As air travelling now becomes cheaper and available to almost all people of any walk of life, travelling across international borders is fast becoming a lifestyle of many. Having travel health service as part of health care services is important to address the issues of travel related illnesses among travellers. However, lacks of published guidelines pertaining to travel health service rendering many countries to overlook its importance. The aim of this paper is to review published literatures and authoritative websites on the components needed to develop guideline to establish travel health services. A systematic literature search was done using pre-specified keywords for literatures published between years 2000 – 2016. Literatures written in English and fully accessible were all included. No exclusion criteria was set before the search. Online authoritative websites pertaining to travel health were also referred. A total of six literatures ranging from expert opinion, review paper and original study, together with three authoritative websites related to travel health were reviewed. Among the important components needed to be considered for developing the guideline for establishing travel health services are to prioritise pre-travel health service, to set up specialised travel health clinic, to produce travel health/medicine specialist, to emphasize on continuous education and training of the practitioners and to apply multiagency and multidisciplinary approach with adequate fund for research in travel health. As a conclusion, policy makers should prioritise and select the most important components in developing guideline for travel health service.
Fulltext The Malay version of antenatal and postnatal breastfeeding self-efficacy scale-short form: reliability and validity assessment

Huzaimah Husin, Zaleha Md Isa, Khalib Abd Latif, Rosemawati Ariffin, Suriati Abd Rahman, Hasanain Faisal Ghazi

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

Maternal self-efficacy in breastfeeding is one of the potential modifiable factors which is consistently linked with positive breastfeeding outcomes. This study aimed to develop a Malay translation of the original English BSES-SF and to conduct a validity and reliability assessment on both antenatal and postnatal questionnaires among 101 pregnant women in their third trimester and 104 women on their first week postpartum. The Malay translation of the English BSES-SF was conducted by using back-to-back translation processes, followed by validity and reliability evaluation. The validated Malay version of the questionnaire BSES-SF was then administered on the respondents. The questionnaire comprised of socio-demographic, antenatal, and breastfeeding information. Furthermore, data on infant feeding method were collected via telephone call made to the respondents at four weeks postpartum. The Cronbach’s Alpha value for antenatal BSES-SF questionnaire was0.94, while the value for postnatal BSES-SF questionnaire was 0.95. The factor analysis identified a one-dimensional structure which able to explain 59.02% of the variance for antenatal questionnaire and 60.43% of the variance for postnatal questionnaire. In addition, high antenatal and postnatal breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were significantly associated with the practice of exclusive breastfeeding at four weeks postpartum. As a conclusion, Both Malay versions of the antenatal and postnatal BSES-SF questionnaires are valid and reliable tools to assess breastfeeding self-efficacy among Malaysian mothers.
Fulltext Systematic review of factors associated with willingness to pay for health financing scheme

Azimatun Noor, A., Syed Mohamed Aljunid

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(2):0-0.
MyJurnal

Health care has emerged as one of the fastest growing industry worldwide. This induced health care costto rise tramendously. However, it is important to preserve high quality health care services that are equitable and affordable. In many countries, people are expected to contribute to the cost of the health care. Are populations ready to accept the concept and willing to pay for health financing scheme? What possible factors that may associate with their decision? This is the objective of the study, to examine the relevance evidence for this through a systematic review of literatures.We systematically searched Ovid MEDLINE and Google Schoolar databases until April 2016. We assessed the study population willingness to pay for health financing scheme and determine the significant variables that associate with WTP. 19 full-text articles were included in the review. Factors that were found significantly associated with WTP for health financing scheme by many studies were age, education, income and residential locality. Other factors that also found associated with WTP were health care services utilization and expenditure. The review findings showed that WTP for health financing scheme is beyond the households’ financial capacity and has multifactorial influences.
Nanoreinforced Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering: Biomaterials that are Compatible with Load-Bearing and Electroactive Tissues

Mehrali M, Thakur A, Pennisi CP, Talebian S, Arpanaei A, Nikkhah M, et al.

Adv Mater, 2017 Feb;29(8).
PMID: 27966826 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201603612

Given their highly porous nature and excellent water retention, hydrogel-based biomaterials can mimic critical properties of the native cellular environment. However, their potential to emulate the electromechanical milieu of native tissues or conform well with the curved topology of human organs needs to be further explored to address a broad range of physiological demands of the body. In this regard, the incorporation of nanomaterials within hydrogels has shown great promise, as a simple one-step approach, to generate multifunctional scaffolds with previously unattainable biological, mechanical, and electrical properties. Here, recent advances in the fabrication and application of nanocomposite hydrogels in tissue engineering applications are described, with specific attention toward skeletal and electroactive tissues, such as cardiac, nerve, bone, cartilage, and skeletal muscle. Additionally, some potential uses of nanoreinforced hydrogels within the emerging disciplines of cyborganics, bionics, and soft biorobotics are highlighted.

MeSH terms: Biocompatible Materials; Cartilage; Humans; Weight-Bearing; Hydrogels/chemistry*; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds
Fulltext The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project

Hudson LN, Newbold T, Contu S, Hill SL, Lysenko I, De Palma A, et al.

Ecol Evol, 2017 Jan;7(1):145-188.
PMID: 28070282 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2579

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
Comparing palm oil tocotrienol rich fraction with α-tocopherol supplementation on oxidative stress in healthy older adults

Goon JA, Nor Azman NHE, Abdul Ghani SM, Hamid Z, Wan Ngah WZ

Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2017 10;21:1-12.
PMID: 30014863 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2017.07.004

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble compound and powerful antioxidant that have been shown to protect the cell membranes against damage caused by free radicals. Human vitamin E supplementation studies are usually limited to α-tocopherol but currently tocotrienols are also available. This study aims to compare the effects of tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) with α-tocopherol (α-TF) supplementation on oxidative stress in healthy male and female older adults aged 50-55 years old. A total of 71 subjects both male and female aged between 50 and 55 years were divided into groups receiving placebo (n = 23), α-TF (n = 24) and TRF (n = 24) for six months. Blood was taken at baseline (month 0), 3 months and 6 months osf supplementation for determination of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl, total DNA damage, vitamin D concentration and vitamin E isomers. α-TF supplementation reduced plasma MDA and protein carbonyl in female subjects after 3 and 6 months. TRF supplementation reduced MDA levels in both males and females as early as 3 months while DNA damage was reduced in females only at 6 months. Supplementation with α-TF and TRF increased plasma vitamin D concentration in both males and females after 6 months, but vitamin D concentration in male subjects were significantly higher compared to female subjects in TRF group. Vitamin E isomer determination showed α-TF, α-tocotrienol and γ-tocotrienol were increased in both male and female subjects. In conclusion, TRF supplementation effects were different from α-TF in reducing oxidative stress markers and vitamin D levels with a more pronounced effect in female subjects.

MeSH terms: Chromans/administration & dosage*; Chromans/blood; DNA Damage; Female; Humans; Male; Malondialdehyde/blood; Middle Aged; Vitamin D/blood; Vitamin E/administration & dosage; Vitamin E/analogs & derivatives*; Vitamin E/blood; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism; Oxidative Stress*; Dietary Supplements; Comet Assay; alpha-Tocopherol/administration & dosage*; alpha-Tocopherol/blood; Tocotrienols/administration & dosage*; Tocotrienols/blood; Protein Carbonylation
Fulltext Review of ocular injuries in Malaysia

Thevi T, Reddy SC

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(1):69-77.
MyJurnal

Ocular injuries or trauma to the eye can be caused by variety of objects resulting in a spectrum of lesions in the eye. We did a Pubmed/Google/Science Direct search to review the spectrum of ocular injuries in Malaysia. In our review, we included 28 papers providing information on ocular injuries which were published from Malaysia during the period 1991-2016 in different medical journals. Prevalence was more among males with an average age of 35 years. Among adults they were more common in the workplace but in children it occurred at home. Few wore protective glasses at work. The mode of injury was due to sharp objects hitting the eye, motor vehicle and domestic accidents, firecrackers, chemicals and rarer causes like superglue and durian fruit. Prognostic factors for outcome were the initial visual acuity, length of the wound, associated factors like hyphaema, intraocular foreign body and vitreous prolapse. Missing the diagnosis of perforation of the eyeball is possible without eliciting a proper history. Protective devices must be worn to prevent injuries. Display of health education charts showing the effect of injuries in the eye and their preventive measures in health centres, private hospitals, schools, factories and sports centres will increase the awareness of public about the ocular injuries. It is important to diagnose the tissues involved in ocular trauma by the general practitioners and primary care physicians and refer the patients to the Ophthalmologist urgently for treatment to salvage vision. Compensation mechanisms should then be put forth in terms of rehabilitation and for monetary loss.

MeSH terms: Accidents, Home; Adult; Child; Eye Foreign Bodies; Eye Injuries*; Eye Protective Devices; Health Education; Humans; Hyphema; Malaysia; Male; Prognosis; Prolapse; Sports; Visual Acuity; Prevalence; Hospitals, Private; Workplace; Bombacaceae; General Practitioners; Physicians, Primary Care; Ophthalmologists
Fulltext A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial after stroke (AVERT): a Phase III, multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Langhorne P, Wu O, Rodgers H, Ashburn A, Bernhardt J

Health Technol Assess, 2017 09;21(54):1-120.
PMID: 28967376 DOI: 10.3310/hta21540

BACKGROUND: Mobilising patients early after stroke [early mobilisation (EM)] is thought to contribute to the beneficial effects of stroke unit care but it is poorly defined and lacks direct evidence of benefit.
OBJECTIVES: We assessed the effectiveness of frequent higher dose very early mobilisation (VEM) after stroke.
DESIGN: We conducted a parallel-group, single-blind, prospective randomised controlled trial with blinded end-point assessment using a web-based computer-generated stratified randomisation.
SETTING: The trial took place in 56 acute stroke units in five countries.
PARTICIPANTS: We included adult patients with a first or recurrent stroke who met physiological inclusion criteria.
INTERVENTIONS: Patients received either usual stroke unit care (UC) or UC plus VEM commencing within 24 hours of stroke.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was good recovery [modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of 0-2] 3 months after stroke. Secondary outcomes at 3 months were the mRS, time to achieve walking 50 m, serious adverse events, quality of life (QoL) and costs at 12 months. Tertiary outcomes included a dose-response analysis.
DATA SOURCES: Patients, outcome assessors and investigators involved in the trial were blinded to treatment allocation.
RESULTS: We recruited 2104 (UK, n = 610; Australasia, n = 1494) patients: 1054 allocated to VEM and 1050 to UC. Intervention protocol targets were achieved. Compared with UC, VEM patients mobilised 4.8 hours [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.1 to 5.7 hours; p

MeSH terms: Adult; Aged; Australia; Early Ambulation/adverse effects; Early Ambulation/methods*; Female; Great Britain; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Recovery of Function/physiology*; Stroke Rehabilitation/methods*
Fulltext The fundamental of hajj demand for health care services within congestion in Makkah

Nor Radhiah, M.N., Rosminah, M., Suhaimi, A.W., Omar, O.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(1):0-0.
MyJurnal

The large population of human congestion in Makkah during Hajj would promote contagious diseases. Thus, the pilgrims require health care services that are efficient, effective, and high quality. The aim of this study is to determine the type of health-related problems among Malaysian pilgrims and to identify the health care services required by them during Hajj in Makkah. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which involved 379 Malaysian pilgrims in 2013/14234H. The survey was conducted after the pilgrims completed their Hajj ritual. A total of 400 sets of questionnaires were distributed at Abraj Janadriyah Hotel, which was occupied by more than 3000 Malaysian pilgrims. The response rate for this survey was 93%. Male respondents were constituted of 49.6% and female respondents were 50.4% with the mean age 52 years old. The underlying disease among Malaysian pilgrims during Hajj was respiratory disease (77.5%). The demands for health personnel (36.1%) and quality medication (34.7%) are among the important healthcare services required by the Malaysian pilgrims in Makkah. Respiratory disease is a common disease experienced by Malaysian pilgrims in Makkah. A certain types of services such as health personnel and quality medicine are strongly demanded by the Malaysian pilgrims to overcome their health problem during Hajj. This research provides a fundamental input to the health care providers, and also benefited the Hajj management authority to improve the quality of hajj management in future.

MeSH terms: Ceremonial Behavior; Communicable Diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Respiratory Tract Diseases
Fulltext Prevalence of low-back pain among public ambulance workers in Kelantan, Malaysia

Tuan Lonik EA, Tuan Kamauzaman TH, Abdullah AA, Nor J, Ab Hamid SA

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(1):126-135.
MyJurnal

This study is to determine the prevalence and the associated factors of low-back pain (LBP), which has multifactorial causes, among ambulance workers in Kelantan, Malaysia. The cross-sectional study involved ambulance workers in the emergency department in all government hospitals in Kelantan. Those who did not consent, complete or return the questionnaire as well as having rheumatic diseases were excluded from the study. The participants were asked to answer a self-administered questionnaire in English. Descriptive analyses and Chi-square test were used. A total of 168 respondents had completed the questionnaires with a response rate of 85.0%. Questionnaires with more than 95.0% items completed were included in the analysis (n=143). The respondents had a higher proportion of male than female (63.6% versus 36.4%). Assistant Medical Officer comprised of 60.0% of all respondents and the rest were nurses. The respondents’ age ranged between 23 to 58 years old with a mean age of 38.27 and standard deviation (SD) of 7.27. The mean duration of involvement in ambulance service was 9.68 years (SD 6.97). The majority (98.5%) of the respondents were Malay. Gender, smoking status and hobbies were the associated factors of LBP among ambulance workers. The modifiable risk factors should be emphasized to the ambulance workers as a measure to prevent the development of LBP.

MeSH terms: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Hospitals, District; Hospitals, General; Hospitals, University; Humans; Malaysia; Prevalence; Low Back Pain*
Fulltext The measurement of quality of life among population within the crowd: a case study among Malaysian pilgrims in Makkah

Siti Fatimah, M.N., Rosminah, M., Suhaimi, A.W., Omar, O.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2017;17(1):0-0.
MyJurnal

Hajj and ‘Umrah pilgrimage are a huge congregation performed by Muslims in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The pilgrimage causes overcrowding and congestion that can lead to a high risk of health problems, especially when pilgrims have health problems. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of EQ-5D as a measuring tool to capture the health status of the pilgrims. Data collection was done during Ramadhan’s ‘Umrah in 2014. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 300 self-administered questionnaires attached with the EQ-5D-5L questions were distributed to Malaysian ‘Umrah pilgrims in Makkah and willing to participate in the study. The outcomes from the questionnaires and EQ-5D-5L were systematically analysed by using the SPSS software. The response rate was 64%, involved female (53%) and male (47%) respondents with the mean age of 55 years old. Hypertension (21.5%) and diabetes (16.2%) were the commonest underlying health problems suffered by the respondents in this study. Based on the EQ-5D outcomes, 53.3% of the respondents had no problem in their movement. However, the mean of EQ-VAS (visual analogue scale) presented 83 out of 100 scaling point, which means they might have problems in their health status. In addition, this study revealed, respondents with underlying illnesses had difficulty in some dimensions in EQ-5D. Hypertension was identified as the commonest underlying disease amongst the pilgrims. A contradicted outcome from the objective and subjective measuring scales of EQ-5D and EQ-VAS respectively; presented its sensitivity of EuroQol as a measuring tool for the quality of life among pilgrims living within such congestion.

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