METHODS: A total of 243 participants from MyBFF@home were included in this study. Fasting blood samples at baseline, 6- and 12-month were assessed for fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides. The effect of the intervention on cardiometabolic risk markers were investigated within and between study groups using t-test and general linear model (GLM) repeated measure ANOVA.
RESULTS: Results from repeated measures ANOVA showed intervention effect only in TC where significant reduction was found in the intervention group (- 0.26 mmol/L [95% CI: - 0.47 to - 0.06], p
METHODS: This is a follow-up study among 84 obese housewives without co-morbidities aged 18 to 59 years old who previously participated as a control group (delayed intervention, G1) in the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at Home (MyBFF@home) Phase II. Baseline data were obtained from 12 month data collection for this group. A new group of 42 obese housewives with co-morbidities (G2) were also recruited. Both groups received a 6 month intervention (July-December 2015) consisting of dietary counselling, physical activity (PA) and self-monitoring tools (PA diary, food diary and pedometer). Study parameters included weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and body compositions. Body compositions were measured using a bioelectrical impedance analysis device, Inbody 720. Descriptive and repeated measures ANOVA analyses were performed using SPSS 21.
RESULTS: There were reductions in mean body fat, fat mass and visceral fat area, particularly among obese women without co-morbidities. There were also decreases fat and skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.12 (95% CI: -0.38, 0.14) and visceral fat area from month three to month six with mean difference - 9.22 (- 17.87, - 0.56) for G1. G2 showed a decreasing pattern of skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.01(95% CI: -0.38, 0.37). There was a significant difference for group effect of visceral fat area (p
METHODS: Data of participants in the MyBFF@home study (intervention and control groups) were analysed. Participants in the intervention group received personalised dietary counselling consisted of reduced calorie diet 1200-1500 kcal/day, while the control group was assigned to receive women's health seminars. The dietary assessment was done during the intervention phase at baseline, 1 month (m), 2 m, 3 m and 6 m using a 3-day food diary. Body fat was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyser (In-body 720) at baseline and at the end of the intervention phase. The mean differences of nutrient intake and body compositions during the intervention phase were measured with paired t-test. The changes in body fat and nutrients intake were calculated by subtracting baseline measurements from those taken at 6 months. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which the changes in each gram of nutrients per 1000 kcal were predictive of changes in body fat mass.
RESULTS: There were significant reductions in energy, all macronutrients, dietary fibre, calcium and iron intake in both study groups after the intervention phase (p
DISCUSSION: The MyBFF@home (Phase II) was a quasi-experimental study and it was conducted among overweight and obese housewives living in the urban areas in Malaysia. In this phase, the study involved a weight loss intervention phase (6 months) and a weight loss maintenance phase (6 months). The intervention group received a standard weight loss intervention package and the control group received group seminars related to women's health. Measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, body composition, fasting blood lipids, dietary intake, physical activity, health literacy, body pain and quality of life were conducted during the study. Overweight and obese housewives from 14 People's Housing/Home Project (PHP) in Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley) were selected as control and intervention group (N = 328). Majority of the participants (76.1%) were from the low socioeconomic group. Data were analysed and presented according to the specific objectives and the needs for the particular topic in the present supplement report.
CONCLUSION: MyBFF@home is the first and the largest community-based weight loss intervention study which was conducted among overweight and obese housewives in Malaysia. Findings of the study could be used by the policy makers and the researchers to enhance the obesity intervention programme among female adults in Malaysia.
METHODS: Baseline and sixth month data from the MyBFF@home study were used for this purpose. A total of 169 of overweight and obese respondents answered the IPAQ-SF and were asked to use a pedometer for 7 days. Data from IPAQ-SF were categorised as inactive and active while data from pedometer were categorised as insufficiently active and sufficiently active by standard classification. Data on sociodemographic and anthropometry were also obtained. Cohen's kappa was applied to measure the agreement of IPAQ-SF and pedometer in determining the physical activity level. Pre-post cross tabulation table was created to evaluate the changes in physical activity over 6 months.
RESULTS: From 169 available respondents, 167 (98.8%) completed the IPAQ-SF and 107 (63.3%) utilised the pedometer. A total of 102 (61.1%) respondents were categorised as active from the IPAQ-SF. Meanwhile, only 9 (8.4%) respondents were categorised as sufficiently active via pedometer. Cohen's κ found there was a poor agreement between the two methods, κ = 0.055, p > 0.05. After sixth months, there was + 9.4% increment in respondents who were active when assessed by IPAQ-SF but - 1.3% reductions for respondents being sufficiently active when assessed by pedometer. McNemar's test determined that there was no significant difference in the proportion of inactive and active respondents by IPAQ-SF or sufficiently active and insufficiently active by pedometer from the baseline and sixth month of intervention.
CONCLUSION: The IPAQ-SF and pedometer were both able to measure physical activity. However, poor agreement between these two methods were observed among overweight and obese women.
METHODS: Data on 123 obese and overweight housewives in the intervention group from the MyBFF@home study were utilised. A validated Malaysian Malay version of Obesity Weight Loss Quality of Life (OWLQOL) questionnaire was administered at baseline and 6 months after intervention. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, paired t-test and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS Version 22.
RESULTS: Mean body mass index (BMI) was 31.5 kg/m2 (SD:4.13), with 51 participants classified as overweight (41.5%) while 72 were obese (58.5%). About 72% of the housewives experienced weight reduction (62% reduced weight less than 5% and 11% reduced weight more than 5% of their baseline weight). There was a significant improvement in HRQOL with a pre-intervention total mean score of 59.82 (SD: 26.60) and post-intervention of 66.13 (SD: 22.82), p-value
METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 255 overweight and obesity individuals aged between 18 to 59 years old were assigned to either the lifestyle intervention group (n = 169) or the usual care group (n = 146) over a period of 6 months. Individuals in the intervention group received 6 individual lifestyle counselling comprised of physical activity, diet counselling and self-monitoring components aimed to achieve at least 5% weight loss while individuals in the usual care group obtained six sessions of health care seminars from health care providers. These individuals were then followed-up for another 6 months without any intervention as part of maintenance period.
RESULTS: An intention-to-treat analysis of between-groups at 6-month of intervention (β, 95% CI) revealed greater changes in weight among intervention individuals' (- 1.09 kg vs. -0.99; p 0.05). Individuals in the intervention group showed a significant increase for skeletal muscle mass (0.13 kg) than those individuals in the control group (- 0.37 kg), p = 0.033, throughout the study period.
CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that an overweight and obesity prevention program can be implemented in a community setting, with some reduction of several anthropometric and body composition parameters.
METHODS: MyBFF@home intervention was a quasi-experimental study which involved 328 overweight and obese housewives aged 18-59 years old (Control group: 159, Intervention group: 169). Data of the control and intervention group (pre and post intervention who completed the body composition and blood pressure measurements were analysed. Body compositions were measured using the Body Impedance Analyser (InBody 720) and blood pressure (Systolic and Diastolic) was taken using the blood pressure monitoring device (Omron HEM 907) at baseline, 6 month and 12 month. Data analyses (Pearson's correlation test and ANOVA) were performed and analysed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 22.0.
RESULTS: Visceral fat area, fat mass and body fat percentage, were all significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group after 6 month intervention (p
METHODS: Data of 328 eligible housewives who participated in the MyBFF@Home study was used. Intervention group of 169 subjects were provided with an intervention package which includes physical activity (brisk walking, dumbbell exercise, physical activity diary, group exercise) and 159 subjects in control group received various health seminars. Physical activity level was assessed using short-International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The physical activity level was then re-categorized into 4 categories (active intervention, inactive intervention, active control and inactive control). Physical activity, blood glucose and lipid profile were measured at baseline, 3rd month and 6th month of the study. General Linear Model was used to determine the effect of physical activity on glucose and lipid profile.
RESULTS: At the 6th month, there were 99 subjects in the intervention and 79 control group who had complete data for physical activity. There was no difference on the effect of physical activity on the glucose level and lipid profile except for the Triglycerides level. Both intervention and control groups showed reduction of physical activity level over time.
CONCLUSION: The effect of physical activity on blood glucose and lipid profile could not be demonstrated possibly due to physical activity in both intervention and control groups showed decreasing trend over time.
METHODS: Housewives aged 18 to 59 years old from the MyBFF@home study were selected and pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaire. VAS measured the pain intensity at different parts of the body (score of 0-10). Data were collected at base line, 3 months and 6 months among the housewives in both the control and intervention group. Pain scores and other variables (age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference) were analysed using SPSS version 22.
RESULTS: A total of 328 housewives completed the VAS questionnaires at baseline, while 185 (56.4%) of housewives completed the VAS at 3 months and 6 months. A decreasing trend of mean pain score in both groups after 6 months was observed. However, the intervention group showed a consistent decreasing trend of pain score mainly for back pain. In the control group, there was a slight increment of score in back pain from baseline towards the 6 months period. Older housewives in both groups (aged 50 years and above) had a higher mean score of leg pain (2.86, SD: 2.82) compared to the other age group. Higher BMI was significantly associated with pain score in both groups.
CONCLUSION: There were some changes in the level of body pain among the housewives before and after the intervention. Older obese women had a higher pain score compared to younger obese women. Pain was associated with BMI and change in BMI appears to be beneficial in reducing body pain among overweight and obese individuals.
METHODS: A total of 322 participants from the MyBFF@home study completed the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) test at baseline. However, only data from 209 participants who completed the NVS test from baseline to WL intervention were used to determine the HL groups. Change of the NVS scores from baseline to WL intervention phase was categorized into two groups: those with HL improvement (increased 0.1 score and above) and those without HL improvement (no change or decreased 0.1 score and more). Independent variables in this study were change of energy intake, nutrient intake, physical activity, anthropometry measurements, and body composition measurements between baseline and WL intervention as well as between WL intervention and WL maintenance. An Independent sample t-test was used in the statistical analysis.
RESULTS: In general, both intervention and control participants have low HL. The study revealed that the intervention group increased the NVS mean score from baseline (1.19 scores) to the end of the WL maintenance phase (1.51 scores) compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in sociodemographic characteristics between the group with HL improvement and the group without HL improvement at baseline. Most of the dietary intake measurements at WL intervention were significantly different between the two HL groups among intervention participants. Physical activity and body composition did not differ significantly between the two HL groups among both intervention and control groups.
CONCLUSION: There was an improvement of HL during the WL intervention and WL maintenance phase in intervention participants compared to control participants. HL shows positive impacts on dietary intake behavior among intervention participants. New research is suggested to explore the relationship between HL and weight loss behaviors in future obesity intervention studies.
METHODS: The scoping review was conducted based on the framework by Arksey and O'Malley. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) diagram was used as a guide to record the review process. Articles from year 2008 until 2017 on overweight and obesity among adults aged 18 years and above were retrieved based on the keywords using electronic databases (Embase/Ovid, Pubmed, Cochrane library and Google Scholar). Local journals, Nutrition Research in Malaysia Biblography (2011 and 2016), online local theses databases, virtual library databases were also included in the searches. Consultations with relevant key informants from the National Institutes of Health and local universities were also conducted. Search activities were managed using Endnote software and MS Excelsheet.
RESULTS: The characteristics of the results were described based on the objectives of the review. A total of 2004 articles and reports were retrieved, and 188 articles related to obesity in Malaysia were included in the final review. Scopes and topics of obesity research based on the Nutrition Research Priorities in Malaysia (NRPM) for 11th Malaysia Plan were obesity prevalence, weight loss intervention, association of physical activities and dietary factors with obesity. The majority of obesity research among adults in Malaysia was cross sectional studies and only a small number of intervention studies, qualitative studies and systematic review were indentified. Research gaps were identified in order to make useful recommendations to the stakeholders.
CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, there has been an emerging evidence on obesity research among adults in Malaysia. More obesity research needs to be conducted particularly on obesity intervention among specific gender, qualitative studies, economic cost and genetic factors of obesity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experimental GIC (ex-GIC) was prepared by mixing CHX-D powder with the powder of type II GIC to obtain 1% (w/w) concentration of CHX-D in the GIC. Antibacterial activity of this ex-GIC was tested against L. casei and A. viscosus using the agar diffusion method. The ex-GIC specimens were tested in their unset and set forms for each bacterium. For the unset group, specimens were placed in each agar plate immediately after manipulation and for the set group, specimens were placed in each agar plate, 1 hour after manipulation. The inhibition zones on the agar plate were recorded in millimeters immediately on placement of the specimen in the agar plate and after 48 hours. The reading was recorded and statistically analyzed for significant difference.
RESULTS: Mann-Whitney U test showed statistically significant difference in the inhibition zones produced by ex-GIC against L. casei and A. viscosus when both were compared in unset (p-value = 0.002) and set (p-value = 0.031) groups. For both the groups, the zone of inhibition against L. casei was greater. Though the unset group recorded wider zone of inhibition, the difference was not significant when compared with the respective set group. This was true for both the bacterial groups.
CONCLUSION: The 1% CHX-D-modified type II GIC showed antibacterial property against L. casei and A. viscosus and significantly higher activity against L. casei.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Addition of 1% CHX-D to type II GIC showed evidence of antibacterial activity against organisms found in deep carious lesion and therefore may exhibit superior antimicrobial efficiency when used as an intermediate therapeutic restoration in deep cavities.
METHODS: A total of 110 putatively healthy and non-obese subjects were divided into three groups according to their level of VF and BP. Common carotid artery BFV was measured using a developed portable Doppler ultrasound measurement system.
RESULTS: The most pronounced peak systolic velocity (S1) was lower (p < 0.05) in the hypertensive group and the peak diastolic velocity (D) was significantly lower in the pre-hypertensive group than in the normotensive group. There were differences in velocity reflection and resistive indices between the hypertensive and other two BP groups. The higher VF group had significantly lower S1 and D velocities and resistive and vascular elasticity indices. By contrast, the velocity reflection index was larger in the higher VF group.
CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that there were significant differences in the BFV among non-obese subjects who differed in level of VF and BP. This study confirms that a putatively increasing VF and BP level is associated with the development of hypertension.
PURPOSE: This study compared cervical supine side-bending (CSSB) and cervical supine traction (CST) radiographs to assess the flexibility and predict the correctability of the proximal thoracic (PT) curve for patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) classified as Lenke 1 and 2.
OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Knowledge of the flexibility of the PT curve is crucial in the management of patients with AIS. There are no reports comparing CSSB and CST radiographs to assess this parameter.
METHODS: Thirty patients with Lenke 1 and 2 AIS scheduled for posterior spinal fusion surgery were recruited. A standing whole spine radiography and physician-supervised CSSB and CST radiographies were performed. Patient demographic and radiological parameters were recorded, including age, gender, weight, height, body mass index, PT angle, main thoracic angle, CSSB PT angle, CST PT angle, and postoperative PT angle. From the data collected, the curve flexibility and curve correction index were calculated and compared.
RESULTS: CSSB had a significantly (p <0.05) smaller PT angle (16.6°±10.4°) in comparison to CST (23.7°±10.7°). CSSB had significantly (p <0.05) greater flexibility (44.2%±19.7%) in comparison to CST (19.5%±18.1%). The CSSB correction index (1.2±0.9) was significantly closer to 1 in comparison to the CST correction index (4.4±5.3). There was no difference (p =0.72) between the CSSB PT angle (16.6°±10.4°) and the postoperative PT angle (16.1°±7.5°). However, the CST PT angle (23.7°±10.7°) was significantly (p <0.05) larger than the postoperative PT angle (16.1°±7.5°).
CONCLUSIONS: CSSB radiographs were better for demonstrating PT flexibility and more accurately predicted correctability in comparison to the CST radiographs.