Introduction: Physical inactivity has been recognised as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. Individuals who are physically inactive have an increased risk of 20% to 30% of dying prematurely. Individuals who fulfil the minimum recommendations of physical activity can reduce the development of Non-Communicable Diseases. In 2015, 33.5% of Malaysian adults were reported to be physically inactive. Various factors were found to be associated with physical activity participation and these factors need to be explored. Methods: A cross-sectional study using proportionate simple random sampling was conducted. A total of 310 health staff were sampled according to the proportion from five divisions and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. IBM SPSS version 22.0 were used to analyse the data. Predictors for physical activity were also determined. Results: The response rate was 97.7% (303 out of 310). The prevalence of physical inactivity among respondents was 37.6%. The predictors for physical inactivity were smoker/ex-smoker (aOR=2.308, p=0.027), certificate/diploma education (aOR=2.135, p=0.008), personal barrier (aOR=1.055, p=0.017) and social environment barrier (aOR=1.106, p =0.025). Conclusion: People that have a higher possibility of being physically inactive were those with certificate or diploma education and smokers or ex-smokers. Those with personal barriers and social environment barriers likewise have higher probability of being physically inactive. Thus, appropriate health interventions should be developed by taking these factors into consideration to promote physical activity among the health staff.
Introduction: Hypertension treatment aims to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and renal com- plications. In Malaysia, there is a high prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among patients on treatment. This study aimed to identify the predictors of uncontrolled hypertension among patients receiving treatment from public primary care clinics in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Methods: An unmatched case-control study with 1:1 ratio was con- ducted among 334 hypertensive patients receiving treatment from selected public primary care clinics. Mean blood pressure measurements from the last two clinical visits were used to determine the hypertension status, and uncon- trolled hypertension was defined as 140/90 mm Hg or higher. The cases were those with uncontrolled hypertension, while the controls were those with controlled hypertension. Participants were recruited by simple random sampling. Independent variables were sociodemographic factors, clinical and psychosocial factors, medication adherence, lifestyle modification, and clinical inertia. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and review of medi- cal records. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: The mean age of respondents was 59 years (SD=11). Patients with medication non-adherence had 11.36 times higher odds of uncontrolled hypertension (aOR=11.36, 95% CI=6.59, 19.56, p