Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 56 in total

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  1. Awang H, Mansor N, Rodrigo SK
    PMID: 26867371
    Illness and injury have a significant impact on employees, their families and employers. The consequences faced by an injured worker could lead to disability, which could then lead to inability to work. This study examined the patterns of the Return to Work (RTW) using data from The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) of Malaysia RTW database from 2010 to 2013. Factors of successful return to work, employees' salary upon returning to formal employment were also investigated. Gender, age, year of injury, industry, and job hierarchy were found to be significant predictors of employees' salary upon returning to work. Although there are other costs involved on the part of employers and employees, themselves, in the long term the financial returns that can be brought back by injured workers who have successfully returned to work combined with the qualitative benefits substantially outweighs the costs of RTW program.
  2. Tajik E, Latiffah AL, Awang H, Siti Nur'Asyura A, Chin YS, Azrin Shah AB, et al.
    Obes Res Clin Pract, 2016 Mar-Apr;10(2):114-23.
    PMID: 26204813 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2015.06.001
    BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Missing main meals and an unhealthy snacking pattern can lead to poor diet quality and consequently to the presence of chronic diseases among which mental disorder is no exception. Since there is little research on diet, skipping meals and psychological status in Asian countries, this study tries to determine eating behaviour and predicting symptoms of stress and depression of adolescents in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Form 1 secondary school-going adolescents (n 1565, response rate: 90%) in southern Malaysia from April to May 2013. A self-administered structured and validated questionnaire (socio-demographic, eating behaviour questionnaire, and depression, anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21)) was used for data collection.

    RESULTS: Among respondents, 803 (51.3%) were female, 1125 were Malay (71.9%) with a mean age of 13.7 (SD=0.8) years. Logistic regression analysis indicated that students who were underweight (OR=3.07, 95% CI 1.21, 7.76), obese (OR=2.64, 95% CI 1.01, 6.87), used to eat out of home (OR=1.37, 95% CI 1.28, 2.13), eat dinner (>4 days/week) (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.04, 2.43) were more likely to have depression or stress symptoms. Moreover, participants with 4-7 days/week eating breakfast (OR=0.88, 95% CI 0.21, 0.89) were less likely to be at mild/moderate stress.

    CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the effect of unhealthy eating practices among adolescents on mental health. Targeted education should be implemented to improve psychological well-being.
  3. Awang H, Mansor N, Nai Peng T, Nik Osman NA
    J Int Med Res, 2018 Jan;46(1):175-184.
    PMID: 28760083 DOI: 10.1177/0300060517710857
    Objectives Ageing is often associated with deteriorating mental and physical health and the need for long-term care, creating a fear of ageing. We investigated what people fear most in terms of disabling chronic diseases and their concerns regarding having long-term illnesses. Methods Data were obtained from an online survey of 518 respondents aged 40 years and older residing in Malaysia, which was based on a convenience sample collected in May 2015 to January 2016. Data were analyzed using chi-squared tests and multinomial logistic regression. Results Of the most dreaded diseases, heart disease and cancer are life-threatening; however, dementia, diabetes, and hypertension persist and have a disabling effect for a long time. While there were variations in the diseases feared most across sex, ethnicity, and place of residence, the biggest worry for all respondents with regard to having a long-term illness was that they would become a burden to their family, a concern that superseded fear of dying. Conclusions We found our survey respondents had a fear of chronic diseases and placing a burden on others. Thus, there is a need to provide motivation for people to adopt a healthy lifestyle, to remain healthy.
  4. Harun AM, Awang H, Noor NFM, Makhatar NM, Yusoff ME, Affandi NDN, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:6173143.
    PMID: 34859102 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6173143
    BACKGROUND: Potential antibacterial substances, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), are being extensively studied throughout the research world. A modified hydrothermal nanotitania extraction was shown to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth in the laboratory. However, the toxicity effect of the extract on rats is unknown. In this study, we observed the effects of a modified hydrothermal nanotitania extraction on the skin and behavior of Sprague-Dawley rats.

    METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (Rattus norvegicus) rats were used as the experimental animals. The skin around the dorsum of the tested animals was shaved and pasted with 0.1 mg and 0.5 mg of the nanotitania extraction. The color and condition of the pasted area and the behavior of the animals were observed.

    RESULTS: 0.1 mg nanotitania extraction application on the dorsum of the rat produced no skin color changes at day 1, day 3, day 5, or day 7 postapplication. There were no changes in their behavior up to day 7 with no skin rashes or skin scratches seen or fur changes. However, 0.5 mg of nanotitania extraction resulted in redness and less fur regrowth at day 7.

    CONCLUSIONS: A 0.1 mg modified nanotitania extraction was observed to have no effect on the skin of Sprague-Dawley rats.

  5. Osman ZJ, Mukhtar F, Hashim HA, Abdul Latiff L, Mohd Sidik S, Awang H, et al.
    Compr Psychiatry, 2014 Oct;55(7):1720-5.
    PMID: 24952938 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.011
    OBJECTIVE: The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is frequently used in non-clinical research to measure mental health factors among adults. However, previous studies have concluded that the 21 items are not stable for utilization among the adolescent population. Thus, the aims of this study are to examine the structure of the factors and to report on the reliability of the refined version of the DASS that consists of 12 items.
    METHOD: A total of 2850 students (aged 13 to 17 years old) from three major ethnic in Malaysia completed the DASS-21. The study was conducted at 10 randomly selected secondary schools in the northern state of Peninsular Malaysia. The study population comprised secondary school students (Forms 1, 2 and 4) from the selected schools.
    RESULTS: Based on the results of the EFA stage, 12 items were included in a final CFA to test the fit of the model. Using maximum likelihood procedures to estimate the model, the selected fit indices indicated a close model fit (χ(2)=132.94, df=57, p=.000; CFI=.96; RMR=.02; RMSEA=.04). Moreover, significant loadings of all the unstandardized regression weights implied an acceptable convergent validity. Besides the convergent validity of the item, a discriminant validity of the subscales was also evident from the moderate latent factor inter-correlations, which ranged from .62 to .75. The subscale reliability was further estimated using Cronbach's alpha and the adequate reliability of the subscales was obtained (Total=76; Depression=.68; Anxiety=.53; Stress=.52).
    CONCLUSION: The new version of the 12-item DASS for adolescents in Malaysia (DASS-12) is reliable and has a stable factor structure, and thus it is a useful instrument for distinguishing between depression, anxiety and stress.
  6. Mohammadzadeh M, Awang H, Ismail S, Kadir Shahar H
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2018 Mar;10(1).
    PMID: 29417729 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12311
    INTRODUCTION: Health issues often differ from one population to another. Assessing different aspects of the health condition is a vital step toward developing and designing appropriate prevention and treatment programs to reduce health problems in any group or population. This study aimed to assess both the prevalence of stress and the coping mechanisms as well as identify the predictors of stress levels among adolescents in Malaysian orphanages.

    METHODS: Overall, 307 male and female adolescents (aged 13-18 y old) living in 9 private orphanages located in Klang Valley, Malaysia, participated in this cross-sectional study. Brief COPE scale and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 were used as the main instruments in the current study.

    RESULTS: The results of the current study showed female adolescents and participants with a higher level of education were more likely to experience stress. The results also showed significant differences between boys and girls in using of coping mechanisms in self-distraction (t = -2.39, P = .01), substance use (t = 2.12, P = .03), use of emotional support (t = -2.70, P = .001), humor (t = 2.28, P = .02), and religion (t = -2.19, P = .02). Denial, venting, religion, humor, planning, and active coping were identified as predictors of stress among participants.

    DISCUSSION: The results showed a high prevalence of stress and a negative coping pattern among participants. The finding of the current study also showed the urgency of taking immediate action to reduce stress and improve coping methods among Malaysian institutional adolescents.

  7. Detho A, Daud Z, Rosli MA, Awang H, Ridzuan MBB
    J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2022 01;72(1):10-23.
    PMID: 33689589 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2021.1895366
    The rapid generation rate of solid waste is due to the increasing population and industrialization. Nowadays, solid waste has been a major concerning problem in handling and disposal thus adsorption treatment process has been introduced which is an effective and low-cost method in removing organic and inorganic compounds from leachates such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N). A most commonly adsorbent used for the removal of organic and inorganic compounds is activated carbon (AC), yet the main disadvantage is being too expensive in cost. Many researchers tried to use low-cost adsorbent waste materials, such as peat soil, limestone etc. This review article reveals a list of low-cost adsorbent and their capacity of adsorption for the removal of COD and NH3-N. Furthermore, the preparation of these low-cost adsorbents as well as their removal efficiencies, relative cost, and limitation are discussed. The most efficient, cost-effective, and environment-friendly adsorbent can be used for the removal of COD and NH3-N thus can be provided for commercial usage or water treatment plant.Implications: The concentration of organic constituents (COD) and ammonia nitrogen in stabilized landfill leachate has significant strong influences of human health and environmental. This review article shows the list of low-cost adsorbent (i.e., Activated carbon, Peat soil, Zeolite, Limestone, and cockle shell and their capacity of adsorption for the removal of COD and ammonia nitrogen. This would be greatly applicable in future research era as well as conventionally minimizing high-cost materials use and thereby lowering the operating cost of leachate wastewater treatment.
  8. Awang H, Shahabudin SM, Mansor N
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2016 Nov;28(8):694-702.
    PMID: 27022093 DOI: 10.1177/1010539516640354
    This study examined the factors of successful return to employment among participants in the return to work program (RTW) following work-related injury. Data were obtained from the Social Security Organization database containing 9850 injured workers who underwent RTW in 2010 to 2013. About 65% had successfully returned to employment. Significant factors of successful return include gender, employer interest, motivation, age, intervention duration, and type of injury. Male and motivated employees were more likely to return to employment compared with female and unmotivated employees, respectively. Participants from interested employers were 23.22 times more likely to return to work than those from uninterested employers, whereas participants whose intervention period exceeded 5 months were 41% less likely to return to work compared with those whose intervention period was within 3 months. Appropriate strategy and enhanced collaboration between the stakeholders would improve the proportion of successful return to employment.
    Keyword: SOCSO
  9. Detho A, Daud Z, Rosli MA, Awang H
    J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2022 01;72(1):69-75.
    PMID: 33689591 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2021.1894267
    Landfill leachate is a liquid generated due to rainwater percolation through the waste in a landfill or dumping site that may contain high levels of organic matter, both biodegradable and non-biodegradable, which are the major sources of water pollution. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3-N) contents have been relevant indicators of severity and pollution potential of landfill leachate. The reductions of COD and NH3-N were investigated in this study using different combinations of media ratios of green mussel (GM) and zeolite (ZEO). Generally, ZEO is considered as a renowned adsorbent but with a relatively high in cost. In Malaysia, mussel shell is abundantly available as a by-product from the seafood industry, is regarded as waste, and is mostly left at the dumpsite to naturally deteriorate. Its quality and availability make GMs a cost-effective material. In this research study, leachate samples were characterized and found to contain high concentrations of COD and NH3-N. The adsorption process was conducted to find out the best combination media ratio between GM and ZEO. The removing efficiency was determined at different amounts of composite media ratios. The optimal adsorbent mixture ratios between (GM: ZEO) of 1.0:3.0 and 1.5:2.5 were considered as a more efficient technique in removing COD and NH3-N compared to exploiting these adsorbents individually. The optimal extenuation removal reduction was found at an approximately 65% of COD and 78% of NH3-N. The adsorption Isotherm Langmuir model exhibited a better fit with high regression coefficient for COD (R2 = 0.9998) and NH3-N (R2 = 0.9875), respectively. This means that the combination of GM: ZEO adsorption of landfill leachate in this analysis is homogeneous with the monolayer. The mixture of GMs and ZEO was observed to provide an alternative medium for the reduction of COD and NH3-N with comparatively lower cost.Implications: The concentration of organic constituents (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen in stabilized landfill leachate have significantly strong influences of human health and the environment. The combination of mixing media green mussel and zeolite adsorbent enhancing organic constituents (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen reduction efficiency from leachate. This would be greatly applicable in future research as well as conventionally minimizing high cost materials like zeolite, thereby lowering the operating cost of leachate treatment.
  10. Ibrahim N, Sherina MS, Phang CK, Mukhtar F, Awang H, Ang JK, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2017 08;72(4):221-227.
    PMID: 28889133 MyJurnal
    No abstract available.
  11. Awang H, Mansor N
    Saf Health Work, 2018 Sep;9(3):347-351.
    PMID: 30370168 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2017.11.001
    Background: The success of an injury intervention program can be measured by the proportion of successful return to work (RTW). This study examined factors of successful return to employment among workers suffering from work-related injuries.

    Methods: Data were obtained from the Social Security Organization, Malaysia database consisting of 10,049 RTW program participants in 2010-2014. The dependent variable was the RTW outcome which consisted of RTW with same employer, RTW with new employer or unsuccessful return. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to test the likelihood of successful return with same employer and new employer against unsuccessful return.

    Results: Overall, 65.3% of injured workers were successfully returned to employment, 52.8% to the same employer and 12.5% to new employer. Employer interest; motivation; age 30-49 years; intervention less than 9 months; occupational disease; injuries in the lower limbs, upper limbs, and general injuries; and working in the manufacturing, services, and electrical/electronics were associated with returning to work with the same employer against unsuccessful return. Male, employer interest, motivation, age 49 years or younger, intervention less than 6 months, occupational disease, injuries in the upper limbs and services sector of employment were associated with returning to new employer against unsuccessful return.

    Conclusion: There is a need to strengthen employer commitment for early and intensified intervention that will lead to improvement in the RTW outcome.

  12. Awang H, Nik Husain NR, Abdullah H
    Oman Med J, 2019 Mar;34(2):110-117.
    PMID: 30918604 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2019.22
    Objectives: We sought to determine the total proportion of pediatric tuberculosis cases, characterize tuberculosis by its anatomical location and pretreatment sputum smear status, and to determine the association of the sociodemographic and clinical factors with tuberculosis disease among pediatric patients in Kelantan from 2012 until 2015.

    Methods: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study between tuberculosis cases and tuberculosis contacts among pediatric patients using the Tuberculosis Information System as a source population. All notified cases that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Descriptive statistics, simple and multiple logistic regressions were used for data analysis.

    Results: Of 5412 tuberculosis cases, 456 (8.4%) were pediatric patients with a mean age of 15.9 years. The majority had the pulmonary form of tuberculosis (78.1%) followed by the extrapulmonary (14.9%) and pulmonary form with concomitant extrapulmonary (7.0%) forms. Of all pulmonary tuberculosis cases, 64.9% were sputum smear-positive, and 35.1% were sputum smear-negative. Among 322 pediatric patients with tuberculosis, the majority were Malay (90.7%), 8.4% were illiterate, and 79.5% resided in non-urban areas. Of all cases, 2.8% were HIV-positive, and 14.6% were cigarette smokers. Older age, Malay ethnicity, female gender, non-urban residence, good education level, and cigarette smoking were the significant associated factors for tuberculosis disease among pediatric patients with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.41 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-1.54; p < 0.001), 0.17 (95% CI: 0.07-0.44; p < 0.001), 1.88 (95% CI: 1.33-2.65; p < 0.001), 1.92 (95% CI: 1.33-2.79; p = 0.001), 0.20 (95% CI: 0.12-0.33; p < 0.001), and 3.35 (95% CI: 1.86-6.01; p < 0.001), respectively.

    Conclusions: The study will assist practices of tuberculosis detection and control management in the local setting and may help other national tuberculosis programs to review their detection criteria with similar statistics.

  13. Eow SY, Gan WY, Lim PY, Awang H, Mohd Shariff Z
    J Autism Dev Disord, 2021 Aug 28.
    PMID: 34453670 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05247-7
    Atypical eating behaviors displayed by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) predispose them to unhealthy weight gain. We determined the factors associated with body weight status among 261 children with ASD (3-18 years) at nine autism intervention centers. Their mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic background, parenting style, parental feeding practices, parenting stress, sleep habits, eating behaviors, and autism severity. Children with older age, non-full term gestational age, high maternal perceived weight, high maternal concern about child weight, and low pressure to eat were more likely to be overweight and obese. Obesity is a major concern among children with ASD. Healthy weight management programs for parents should incorporate appropriate feeding practices and a healthy perception of body weight.
  14. Daud Z, Detho A, Rosli MA, Awang H, Ridzuan MBB, Tajarudin HA
    J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2022 01;72(1):24-33.
    PMID: 33320054 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2020.1862362
    When the inevitable generation of waste is considered as hazardous to health, damaging ecosystem to our environment, it is important to develop an innovative technologies to remediate pollutant sources for the safety and environmental protection. The development of adsorption technique for the reduction of extremely effective pollutants in this regard. Green mussel and zeolite mixing media were investigated for the reduction of the concentration of organic constituents (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen from leachate. The leachate treatability was analyzed under various stages of treatment parameter, namely mixing ratio, shaking speed, contact time, and pH. Both adsorbent were sieve values in between 2.00-3.35 mm particle size. The optimum pH, shaking speed, contact time, and mixing ratio were determined. Leachate samples were collected from influent untreated detention pond at Simpang Renggam landfill site in Johor, Malaysia. The result of leachate characterization properties revealed that non-biodegradability leachate with higher concentrations of COD (1829 mg/L), ammoniacal nitrogen (406.68 mg/L) and biodegradability value (0.08) respectively. The optimal reduction condition of COD and ammoniacal nitrogen was obtained at 200 rpm shaken speed, 120 minute shaken time, optimum green mussel and zeolite mix ratio was 2.0:2.0, and pH 7. The isothermic study of adsorption shows that Langmuir is best suited for experimental results in terms of Freundlich model. The mixing media also provided promising results to treating leachate. This would be greatly applicable in conventionally minimizing zeolite use and thereby lowering the operating cost of leachate treatment.Implications: The concentration of organic constituents (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen in stabilized landfill leachate have significant strong influences of human health and environmental. The combination of mixing media green mussel and zeolite adsorbent COD and ammoniacal nitrogen reduction efficiency from leachate. This would be greatly applicable in future research era as well as conventionally minimizing high cost materials like zeolite use and thereby lowering the operating cost of leachate treatment.
  15. Choon MW, Abu Talib M, Yaacob SN, Awang H, Tan JP, Hassan S, et al.
    Child Adolesc Ment Health, 2015 May;20(2):89-93.
    PMID: 32680393 DOI: 10.1111/camh.12075
    BACKGROUND: This study examined the mediating role of negative automatic thoughts in the relationship between depression and suicidal behaviour in a sample of at-risk Malaysian adolescents.

    METHOD: A total of 1441 adolescents were initially recruited via multistage cluster sampling. Subsequently, 294 at-risk adolescents were selected for further analyses through a specified cut-off score.

    RESULTS: The results showed significant positive relationships among the study variables. Specifically, negative automatic thoughts emerged as a significant mediator in the relation between depression and suicidal behaviour (z = 7.15, p 

  16. Suleiman AB, Mohd Zaher ZM, Chan SH, Awang H
    Med J Malaysia, 1984 Mar;39(1):56-8.
    PMID: 6239969
    The MtC tests performed prospectively was correlated with graft survival in 73 living, related grafts. The MLC was expressed as the relative response (RR), and graft survival assessed at six months, one year and two years. The l-haplotype matched grafts with high RR had poorer graft survival at one and two years than those with low RR, but this difference was not statistically significant.
  17. Wong LP, Awang H, Jani R
    Women Health, 2012;52(8):804-19.
    PMID: 23127220 DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2012.729557
    In the present study, researchers explored attitudes toward midlife crises, experience with midlife crises, help-seeking, and needs among multi-ethnic Malaysian women. A total of 14 focus group discussions were conducted with 89 Malaysian women of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Women expressed concern over physical aging and decline in their physical functional health. Having a midlife crisis was frequently reported. Issues that were frequently reported to trigger a midlife crisis, such as empty nest syndrome, impact of aging on sexual and reproductive function, extended parenthood, caring for aging or ill parents, and career challenges were noted by the study participants (listed here in order of most to least frequently reporting of these themes across the group discussions). Overall, these issues were associated with attitudes about aging. A comparatively less open attitude toward sexual attitudes and help-seeking for sexual problems were found among the Malay and Indian women. This may imply that intervention to increase positive attitudes concerning both sexuality and help-seeking intentions should be culturally specific. The use of religious coping for comfort and consolation was frequently reported; therefore, those providing midlife crisis prevention and intervention programs should consider involving faith-based interventions in the Malaysian setting.
  18. Mohammadzadeh M, Awang H, Mirzaei F
    J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 2020 Dec;27(6):829-837.
    PMID: 32170971 DOI: 10.1111/jpm.12627
    WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Four out of every five people with mental health disorders face stigma. Mental health and, consequently, mental health stigma are very common among youth living in the Middle East countries. Several studies have investigated mental health among adolescents in the Middle East, but studies on stigma are very scattered. There is no systematic review on stigma among adolescents with mental disorders across all the Middle East countries despite the common historical roots, similar cultural backgrounds, and recent widespread problems in the area. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This paper will aim to review and analyse the studies on stigma among adolescents with mental disorders in the Middle East countries, from different aspects such as the age rang, kind of stigma and risk factors of stigma. The study will cover studies on all kinds of stigma among Middle Eastern adolescents up to 18 years old published between 2000 and 2019. The study terms are generally focused on four categories: (a) kinds of Stigma, (b) Mental health problems, (c) Age range and (d) Region of study population. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Increasing understanding and awareness of different angles of mental health stigma among adolescents may be helpful for better coping with this challenge. Understanding the nature of stigma may give adolescents the ability of ignoring it and avoid starting self-stigma and/or stopping to seek help. ABSTRACT: Introduction Although many epidemiological and interventional investigations regarding improving mental health among youth in the Middle East have been performed, there is no systematic review specifically analysing the studies on stigma among adolescents with mental disorders (A-MDs) across all Middle East countries despite their common historical roots, similar cultural backgrounds, and recent widespread problems in the area. Purpose We will aim to systematically review and analyse the English language studies on stigma among A-MDs in the Middle East published between 2000 and 2019. Method The Web of Knowledge, Science Direct, PsycINFO and MEDLINE are electronic databases that will be included in this study. Furthermore, the bibliography lists of eligible articles will be manually searched for additional included articles. Descriptive statistics will be represented by mean score and standard deviation for continuous data and number/percentage for categorical data. Discussion This study may act as a resource for future studies attempting to assess and/or reduce stigma among children and adolescents with mental health issues specifically in the Middle East. Implications It is important for healthcare providers, including nursing professional, to improve their knowledge and vision towards stigma in their community. The outcomes of this study can be a shortcut reaching this information.
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