Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 69 in total

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  1. Zhou Y, He S, Zhou K, Kuan G, Chin MK, Kueh YC, et al.
    PMID: 34501842 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179253
    Background: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Attitude toward Physical Activity Scale (APAS) using a cross-sectional design. Methods: The sample consisted of 692 primary students in China (boy 52.6%, girl 47.4%). The mean age of the participants was 9.4 years (SD = 0.92). Psychometric properties of the 57-item APAS was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: The hypothesized seven factors model was supported by CFA (CFI = 0.912, TLI = 0.901, SRMR = 0.041, RMSEA = 0.029) after 22 items were removed and the inclusion of seven residual covariance for items loaded on the same factor. Cronbach's alphas of the scales ranged between 0.50 and 0.76. The composite reliability (CR) was between 0.50 and 0.75. All inter-factor correlation coefficient was less than 0.85. Conclusions: Findings provided empirical evidence that the Chinese version of the APAS has adequate psychometric properties for assessing attitudes of primary school children in China toward physical activity.
  2. Zhao M, Kuan G, Zhou K, Musa RM, Majeed APPA, Kueh YC
    PLoS One, 2024;19(1):e0296035.
    PMID: 38166088 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296035
    BACKGROUND: To assess emotion regulation strategies in a clear and direct manner, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) was developed based on the process model of emotion regulation. ERQ primarily assesses an individual's propensity for reappraisal (a cognitive change in the individual's psychological state in specific situations) and expressive suppression (a regulatory response where an individual alters their emotional response after the onset of an emotional reaction). Recent studies have suggested that the abbreviated 8-item version of the ERQ exhibits comparable model fit to the original version. The present study aimed to explore the psychometric properties and assess cross-gender invariance of the ERQ-8 in Chinese university students.

    METHODS: University students from Jiangsu Province participated in this study. Participants completed self-report surveys assessing emotion regulation strategies. It was conducted from May 2022 to July 2022. The study employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the two-factor model of ERQ-8 and measurement invariance across male and female samples.

    RESULTS: The mean age of 1534 participants was 19.83 years (SD = 1.54), and the majority were female (70.4%). The initial ERQ-10 model with ten items demonstrated good fit for all indicators, CFI (Comparative Fit index) = 0.967, TLI (Tucker-Lewis Index) = 0.957, RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) = 0.043, SRMR (Standardised Root Mean Square Residual) = 0.029. However, to assess the fit of the previously proposed ERQ-8 model, two items (Q1 and Q3) were excluded. The fit of the ERQ-8 model was further improved (CFI = 0.989, TLI = 0.984, RMSEA = 0.029, SRMR = 0.021). All item loadings exceeded or were equal to 0.573. Internal consistency analysis based on the ERQ-8 model revealed Cronbach's alpha values of 0.840 for reappraisal and 0.745 for suppression, and corresponding composite reliability (CR) values of 0.846 and 0.747, respectively. Test-retest reliability, assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (95% CI) within a one-week interval, ranged from 0.537 to 0.679. The correlation coefficient between the two factors was 0.084, significantly below 0.85, which suggested a low correlation between the two factors. The results of the invariance analysis across gender demonstrated that the values of ΔCFI and ΔTLI were both below 0.01. It was supported the gender invariance of the ERQ-8 among university students.

    CONCLUSION: The eight-item ERQ demonstrated validity and reliability in evaluating emotion regulation strategies, and measurement invariance was observed across gender among university students. The ERQ-8 may prove to be a practical and cost-effective tool, particularly in time-constrained situations.

  3. Yao L, Zhou K, Zhou Y, Kueh YC, Liu H, Liu Z, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Jan 10;24(1):151.
    PMID: 38200518 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17596-2
    BACKGROUND: Self-efficacy has been recognized as a critical component in people's participation and maintenance of physical activity. This study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESE) among Chinese children and adolescents using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on two primary and two secondary schools in central China. The ESE scale was translated into Chinese (ESE-C) using the standard forward-backward translation method. Data were analyzed using Mplus 8 for the CFA.

    RESULTS: The final model showed a satisfactory level of goodness-of-fit (CFI = 0.918; TLI = 0.905; SRMR = 0.043; RMSEA = 0.066), indicating a good construct validity of the ESE-C for children and adolescents in mainland China. Furthermore, the final ESE-C model achieved composite reliability values of 0.963 and average variance extraction values of 0.597, indicating sufficient convergent and discriminant validity. Besides, the Cronbach's alpha value was 0.964, demonstrating excellent internal consistency of the ESE-C scale.

    CONCLUSION: The ESE-C scale is a valid instrument for assessing exercise self-efficacy among children and adolescents in mainland China.

  4. Wu J, Kuan G, Lou H, Hu X, Masri MN, Sabo A, et al.
    Front Psychol, 2023;14:1134703.
    PMID: 37691784 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134703
    INTRODUCTION: Since the emergence of COVID-19 in 2019, every country in the world has been affected to varying degrees. Long-term psychological pressure and anxiety will inevitably damage the physical and mental health of students. This study aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students who experienced stress and anxiety and to clarify which intervention was more effective.

    METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted between January 2020 and December 2022 using online databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar by using the following keywords in combination: "COVID-19," "stress," "anxiety," "depression," and "intervention." The retrieved literature was screened and reviewed.

    RESULTS: A total of 2,924 articles were retrieved using subject and keyword searches. After screening through the titles and abstracts, 18 related studies were retained. Their review revealed that: (1) most studies did not use medication to control stress and anxiety; (2) the standard methods used to reduce stress and anxiety were religion, psychological counseling, learning more about COVID-19 through the media, online mindfulness courses, improving sleep quality, and physical exercise; (3) the most effective interventions were physical activity and raising awareness about COVID-19 through the media and online mindfulness programs. However, some studies show that physical activity cannot directly relieve psychological stress and anxiety.

    CONCLUSION: Limited interventions are effective, but learning more about COVID-19 and using active coping strategies may help reduce stress and anxiety. The implications of COVID-19 are also discussed.

  5. Waheeda-Azwa H, Norihan I, Tai ELM, Kueh YC, Shatriah I
    Taiwan J Ophthalmol, 2020 02 12;10(4):278-283.
    PMID: 33437601 DOI: 10.4103/tjo.tjo_71_19
    PURPOSE: The available data on strabismus surgery in South East Asian countries are scarce. This study aimed to identify visual outcome and factors influencing surgical outcome of horizontal strabismus surgery in a Southeast Asian cohort.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of patients who underwent horizontal strabismus surgery between 2013 and 2017 in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia was conducted. Surgery was considered successful if the post-operative deviation was within 10 prism diopters at 6 months' postoperative period. Factors influencing the outcome of surgery at 6 months were identified. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used in data analysis.

    RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were included. Both genders were equally affected. Exotropia (58.2%) was the most common type. About 65.3% of patients had alternating strabismus, while 51% had an angle of deviation of more than 45 prism diopters. Amblyopia was documented in 14.3% of patients. Those operated on below 10 years of age comprised 64.3%. Ninety-four patients completed follow-ups at 6 months after the surgery. The success rate was 81.6%. Approximately 92% of the patients had best-corrected visual acuities of 6/12 and better at 6 months' postoperative period. There was no significant association between age of onset, gender, presence of amblyopia, type of deviation, amount of deviation, and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity with surgical outcome at 6 months' postoperative period (P > 0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The success rate was good. Postoperative best-corrected visual acuity was promising. Age of onset, gender, presence of amblyopia, type of deviation, amount of deviation, and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity did not influence the outcome of horizontal strabismus surgery in our review.

  6. Vadivelu S, Ma ZF, Ong EW, Hassan N, Nik Hassan NFH, Syed Abdul Aziz SH, et al.
    Dig Dis, 2019;37(2):100-107.
    PMID: 30384376 DOI: 10.1159/000494386
    BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERDQ) and Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia Questionnaire (QOLRAD) are reliable tools for evaluation of GERD.

    AIM: We aimed to test validity and reliability of Malay language translations of GERDQ and QOLRAD in a primary care setting.

    METHODS: The questionnaires were first translated into the Malay language (GERDQ-M and QOLRAD-M). Patients from primary care clinics with suspected GERD were recruited to complete GERDQ-M, QOLRAD-M, and Malay-translated 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36 or SF-36-M), and underwent endoscopy and 24-h pH-impedance test.

    RESULTS: A total of 104 (mean age 47.1 years, women 51.9%) participants were enrolled. The sensitivity and specificity for GERDQ-M cut-off score ≥8 were 90.2 and 77.4%, respectively. Based on this cut-off score, 54.7% had a high probability of GERD diagnosis. GERD-M score ≥8 vs. < 8 was associated with erosive esophagitis (p < 0.001), hiatus hernia (p = 0.03), greater DeMeester score (p = 0.001), and Zerbib scores for acid refluxes (p < 0.001) but not non-acid refluxes (p = 0.1). Mean total scores of QOLRAD-M and SF-36-M were correlated (r = 0.74, p < 0.001). GERDQ-M ≥8, erosive esophagitis, and DeMeester ≥14.72 were associated with impaired QOLRAD-M in all domains (all p < 0.02) but this was not seen with SF-36.

    CONCLUSIONS: GERDQ-M and QOLRAD-M are valid and reliable tools applicable in a primary care setting.

  7. Tai ELM, Kueh YC, Abdullah B
    PMID: 32046207 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17031067
    Nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) is the most common cause of childhood epiphora. It is managed conservatively in the first year of life, after which surgical treatment is classically based on a stepwise paradigm of probing, intubation, and dacryocystorhinostomy. This systematic review aims to present the current role of intubation in the management of children with NLDO requiring surgical intervention. A search for English-language articles from the electronic databases PubMed, SCOPUS, and the COCHRANE library was conducted over a period of five months in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook. The following keywords were used to aid retrieval: stents, children, lacrimal intubation, endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, external dacryocystorhinostomy, NLDO, dacryocystitis, congenital, acquired. The primary outcome was defined as the success of the intervention, determined by resolution of symptoms and patency of the lacrimal anatomy confirmed by the fluorescein dye disappearance test or syringing. Secondary outcomes included the presence of complications. A total of 144 articles were identified; of these, 35 fulfilled the study criteria. The majority of the included studies involved lacrimal intubation alone, followed by intubation as an adjunctive procedure to balloon dacryoplasty and dacryocystorhinostomy. The overall success rate of these procedures ranged from 41.1% to 100%. Post-operative complications were reported in 65.7% of the included studies. Lacrimal intubation was most commonly performed as a primary procedure in children with NLDO, with high success rates. The main complication was stent dislodgement. There is lack of evidence regarding the benefit of intubation over probing as primary treatment of congenital NLDO. In the absence of high-quality evidence, the decision of whether to perform lacrimal intubation in children with NLDO requiring surgical intervention depends on clinical judgement and other low-level evidence, such as observational non-randomised trials.
  8. Tai ELM, Kueh YC, Wan Hitam WH, Wong TY, Shatriah I
    PLoS One, 2018;13(2):e0191434.
    PMID: 29389952 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191434
    PURPOSE: Childhood obesity is associated with adult cardiometabolic disease. We postulate that the underlying microvascular dysfunction begins in childhood. We thus aimed to compare retinal vascular parameters between obese and non-obese children.

    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 166 children aged 6 to 12 years old in Malaysia. Ocular examination, biometry, retinal photography, blood pressure and body mass index measurement were performed. Participants were divided into two groups; obese and non-obese. Retinal vascular parameters were measured using validated software.

    RESULTS: Mean age was 9.58 years. Approximately 51.2% were obese. Obese children had significantly narrower retinal arteriolar caliber (F(1,159) = 6.862, p = 0.010), lower arteriovenous ratio (F(1,159) = 17.412, p < 0.001), higher venular fractal dimension (F(1,159) = 4.313, p = 0.039) and higher venular curvature tortuosity (F(1,158) = 5.166, p = 0.024) than non-obese children, after adjustment for age, gender, blood pressure and axial length.

    CONCLUSIONS: Obese children have abnormal retinal vascular geometry. These findings suggest that childhood obesity is characterized by early microvascular abnormalities that precede development of overt disease. Further research is warranted to determine if these parameters represent viable biomarkers for risk stratification in obesity.

  9. Swami V, Tran US, Barron D, Afhami R, Aimé A, Almenara CA, et al.
    Body Image, 2020 Mar;32:199-217.
    PMID: 32032822 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.01.006
    The Breast Size Satisfaction Survey (BSSS) was established to assess women's breast size dissatisfaction and breasted experiences from a cross-national perspective. A total of 18,541 women were recruited from 61 research sites across 40 nations and completed measures of current-ideal breast size discrepancy, as well as measures of theorised antecedents (personality, Western and local media exposure, and proxies of socioeconomic status) and outcomes (weight and appearance dissatisfaction, breast awareness, and psychological well-being). In the total dataset, 47.5 % of women wanted larger breasts than they currently had, 23.2 % wanted smaller breasts, and 29.3 % were satisfied with their current breast size. There were significant cross-national differences in mean ideal breast size and absolute breast size dissatisfaction, but effect sizes were small (η2 = .02-.03). The results of multilevel modelling showed that greater Neuroticism, lower Conscientiousness, lower Western media exposure, greater local media exposure, lower financial security, and younger age were associated with greater breast size dissatisfaction across nations. In addition, greater absolute breast size dissatisfaction was associated with greater weight and appearance dissatisfaction, poorer breast awareness, and poorer psychological well-being across nations. These results indicate that breast size dissatisfaction is a global public health concern linked to women's psychological and physical well-being.
  10. Swami V, Tran US, Stieger S, Aavik T, Ranjbar HA, Adebayo SO, et al.
    Body Image, 2023 Sep;46:449-466.
    PMID: 37582318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.07.010
    The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research.
  11. Shuai Y, Wang S, Liu X, Kueh YC, Kuan G
    Front Psychol, 2023;14:1284378.
    PMID: 38162969 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1284378
    Personality is considered to be a factor affecting athletic performance. However, inconsistency in the research results regarding size and even direction of the relationship. An evaluation of the evidence of the relationship between personality and athletic performance was conducted in order to summarize the evidence available. A systematic literature search was conducted in March 2023. Sport performance and the Big Five personality model were identified in our research. We used PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wang Fang (Chinese), Wei Pu (Chinese), and CNKI (Chinese) databases for the systematic literature search (Prospero registration number: CRD42022364000), screened 4,300 studies, and found 23 cross-sectional studies eligible for inclusion in this review. The results of this systematic analysis show that, besides neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness are all positively correlated with sports performance. Conscientiousness and extraversion are the two main personalities in team sports. Openness and agreeableness show different results in different sports, and it is not clear to which project they are beneficial. The value of personality as a possible predictor of athletic performance is generally positive. Therefore, professionals such as applied sports psychologists, coaching personnel, athletes, and sports administrators must comprehensively grasp the significance of personality's role in achieving success in major competitions. Considering these facts, sports practitioners should promote personality screening and personality development programs.
  12. Saman ZM, Siti-Azrin AH, Othman A, Kueh YC
    PMID: 34770183 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111669
    The effect of cyberbullying among adolescents in Malaysia is not much studied. The Cyberbullying Scale (CBS) has been validated to be used among English speaking adolescents to measure cyberbullying but not in Malay language. Therefore, its validity should be established before use in the Malaysian context. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Malay version of the CBS (CBS-M) among secondary school students. The study was cross-sectional and involved a self-administered questionnaire with 16 items from CBS-M, and 21 items from the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Participants were recruited using a multi-stage sampling method. The validity of the CBS-M was tested in two phases, namely, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Spearman's correlation was used to examine the strength of the relationship between the CBS and subscales from DASS-21 to further support the validity of CBS-M. A total of 401 respondents from Muar, Johor, participated. The mean age was 14.6 years (SD = 1.25). EFA results indicated a one-factor model of CBS-M with a total variance extracted of 33.9%. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha reached 0.87. The model was then tested using CFA. The initial model did not fit the data well. Thus, several model re-specifications were conducted on the initial model. The final measurement model of CBS-M fit the data well with acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.946, TLI = 0.932, SRMR = 0.055, RMSEA = 0.049). The composite reliability for CBS-M was satisfactory with a value of 0.832. The CBS-M questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for measuring cyberbullying among young adolescents in Malaysia.
  13. Sabo A, Kueh YC, Arifin WN, Kim Y, Kuan G
    PLoS One, 2020;15(9):e0239725.
    PMID: 32986724 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239725
    BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the validity of the Malay-translated version scales for assessing the social support and physical environment for exercise activities.

    METHOD: The study was a cross-sectional design in nature, using self-reported questionnaires among the university students in Malaysia. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling approach. Perceptions regarding social support and physical environment were assessed using the Malay-translated version scales. The standard forward-backwards translation was conducted to translate the English version of the scales to the Malay version. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the translated version scales; composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) were computed.

    RESULTS: A total of 857 students participated in this study (female: 49.1%, male: 50.9%). The mean age of the participants was 20.2 (SD = 1.6). The fit indices of the initial hypothesized measurement models (social support and physical environment) were not satisfactory. Further improvements were made by adding covariances between residuals' items within the same factor for each hypothesized model. The final re-specified measurement models demonstrated adequate factor structure for the social support scale with 24 items (CFI = .932, TLI = .920, SRMR = .054, RMSEA = .061), and the physical environment scale with five items (CFI = .994, TLI = .981, SRMR = .013, RMSEA = .054). The CR was .918 for family support, .919 for friend support, .813 for perceived availability, and .771 for perceived quality. The AVEs were .560 for family support, .547 for friend support, .554 for perceived availability, and .628 for perceived quality. The intra-class correlation (ICC) based on test-retest was .920 for family support, .984 for friend support, .895 for availability of facilities, and .774 for quality of facilities.

    CONCLUSION: The Malay version of the social support scale for exercise and the physical environment scale for physical activity were shown to have adequate psychometric properties for assessing perceived social support and physical environment among the university students in Malaysia.

    PERSPECTIVE: This study presented the psychometric properties of the social support and physical environment scales based on CFA and was the first to translate these scales from the original English version to the Malay version.

  14. Sabo A, Kueh YC, Kuan G
    PLoS One, 2019;14(5):e0215698.
    PMID: 31050664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215698
    BACKGROUND: The present study was aimed at validating the Malay-language version of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (SEE-M) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

    METHODS: Data were collected from undergraduate students at all campuses of the Universiti Sains Malaysia. A total of 1,605 students completed the SEE-M (female: 71.5%, male: 28.5%), with the mean age of 20.3 years (SD = 1.5). Perceived self-efficacy was assessed with the 18-item SEE-M. Standard forward-backward translation was performed to translate the English version of the Efficacy for Exercise Scale (SEE) into the Malay version (SEE-M).

    RESULTS: The 2 initial measurement models tested (1-factor and 3-factor models) did not result in a good fit to the data. Subsequent investigation of the CFA results recommended some modifications, including adding correlations between the item residuals within the same latent variable. These modifications resulted in good fit indices for the 1-factor model (RMSEA = .059, CFI = .939, TLI = .922, SRMR = .049) and the 3-factor model (RMSEA = .066, CFI = .924, TLI = .903, SRMR = .051). The final measurement models comprised all 18 SEE-M items, which had significant factor loadings of more than .40. The test-retest results indicated that the SEE-M was stable, with an intra-class correlation of .99. The composite reliability was .886 for the 1-factor model and .670-.854 for the 3-factor model.

    CONCLUSIONS: The translated version of the SEE-M was valid and reliable for assessing the level of self-efficacy for exercise among university students in Malaysia.

    PERSPECTIVE: This study examining the psychometric properties of the SEE scale based on CFA was the first to assess 2 proposed models (1-factor and 3-factor models) simultaneously and to translate the original, English-language SEE into Malay.

  15. Rizal H, Hajar MS, Muhamad AS, Kueh YC, Kuan G
    PMID: 31690004 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16214283
    Brain Breaks Physical Activity Solutions (BBPAS) is a web-based structured physical activity (PA) video that is specifically designed for school settings and can stimulate a student's health and learning. The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of BBPAS on the stages of change, decisional balance, processes of change, self-efficacy and leisure-time exercise among Malay ethnic primary school children. A validated Malay version of three of the five constructs was derived with sound validity and was used in the present study. A total of 159 male and 163 female children aged 10 to 11 years old, mean (SD) = 10.53 (0.50), were recruited from two schools in Kelantan, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was used to divide the children into intervention (n = 177) and control (n = 145) groups. Children in the intervention group underwent BBPAS activity for an accumulated 30 min per week, while children in the control group were not involved in the BBPAS intervention. Mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the effect of BBPAS on the study variables. A mixed ANOVA showed significant changes (time effect) on cognitive process, F(1, 320) = 5.768, p-value = 0.017; behavioural process, F(1, 313) = 5.736, p-value = 0.017; and internal feeling, F(1, 312) = 6.050, p-value = 0.014. There was also a significant difference between groups on cons, F(1, 316) = 7.504, p-value = 0.007. A significant interaction effect was observed for stages of change, F(1, 319) = 7.861, p-value = 0.005; pros, F(1, 316) = 31.311, p-value = 0.001; internal feeling, F(1, 312) = 4.692, p-value = 0.031; and behavioural process, F(1, 313) = 7.312, p-value = 0.007. In conclusion, BBPAS was successful in improving four of the five constructs, and thus, should be recommended to be used in schools throughout Malaysia.
  16. Rizal H, Hajar MS, Kueh YC, Muhamad AS, Kuan G
    Malays J Med Sci, 2019 Mar;26(2):99-113.
    PMID: 31447613 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/mjms2019.26.2.11
    Introduction: The transtheoretical model (TTM) is an integrative model of intentional change consisting of stages of change, processes of change, decisional balance and self-efficacy. This study aimed at validating the TTM questionnaires on physical activity for Malaysian children using confirmatory factor analysis.

    Methods: The participants were 381 Malay students (188 male; 193 female), aged 10-12 years old, with a mean age of 10.94 (SD = 0.81). The original version of the TTM was translated into the Malay language using forward and backward translation. Certain phrases were adapted based on the local culture and vocabulary suitable for primary school students.

    Results: The final measurement models and their fit indices were: processes of change (CFI = 0.939, TLI = 0.925, SRMR = 0.040, RMSEA = 0.030); decisional balance (CFI = 0.897, TLI = 0.864, SRMR = 0.045, RMSEA = 0.038); and self-efficacy (CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.915, SRMR = 0.042, RMSEA = 0.032).

    Conclusion: Care must be taken when using the TTM with children, as it has been prevalently validated with adults. The final version of the TTM questionnaire for Malay primary school children had 24 items for process of changes, 13 items for self-efficacy and 10 items for decisional balance.

  17. Norsa'adah B, Yaacob NM, Abdullah S, Kueh Yee C, Ab Hamid SA, Ghazali AK, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Feb;30(1):1-6.
    PMID: 36875186 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.1.1
    Health and medical research are important parts of the curriculum of medical and health programmes in universities and play an important role in the functioning of organisations related to health care. There is a shortage of well-trained health and medical research statisticians. This article describes the courses and structure of the Master of Science in Medical Statistics programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), as well as the graduates' achievements. It is a 2-year programme that prepares qualified and competent graduates in statistical methods and data analysis for research in health and medical sciences. The Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, USM has been running the programme since 2003. It is currently the only medical statistics programme available in Malaysia. There have been 97 graduates since 2005, with an employment rate of 96.7% and a successful subsequent doctorate rate of 21.1%. Most of the students returned to their previous employments, mainly with the Ministry of Health of Malaysia and several others became lecturers, statisticians or research officers. The employability of graduates from this programme is very high and their professional future is bright. We hope our graduates will impart their knowledge and skills to the nation.
  18. Noor AKCM, Tai ELM, Kueh YC, Siti-Azrin AH, Noordin Z, Shatriah I
    PMID: 31906417 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17010310
    Vitrectomy surgery in proliferative diabetic retinopathy improves the vision-related quality of life. However, there is lack of data on the duration of maintenance of visual gains post vitrectomy. This study thus aimed to determine the survival time of visual gains and the prognostic factors of vision loss after vitrectomy surgery for complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in an ophthalmology clinic in Malaysia. We included 134 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on follow-up after vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Visual acuity was measured using the log of minimum angle of resolution (LogMar). A gain of ≥0.3 LogMar sustained on two subsequent visits was considered evidence of visual improvement post vitrectomy. Subjects were considered to have vision loss when their post-operative visual acuity subsequently dropped by ≥0.3 LogMar. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine the survival time of visual gains. Cox Proportional Hazard regression was used to determine the prognostic factors of vision loss. The median age of patients was 56.00 years (IQR ± 10.00). The median duration of diabetes mellitus was 14.00 years (IQR ± 10.00). Approximately 50% of patients with initial improvement post vitrectomy subsequently experienced vision loss. The survival time, i.e., the median time from surgery until the number of patients with vision loss formed half of the original cohort, was 14.63 months (95% CI: 9.95, 19.32). Ischemic heart disease was a significant prognostic factor of vision loss. Patients with underlying ischemic heart disease (adjusted HR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.18, 3.33) had a higher risk of vision loss post vitrectomy, after adjusting for other factors. Approximately half the patients with initial visual gains post vitrectomy maintained their vision for at least one year. Ischemic heart disease was a poor prognostic factor for preservation of visual gains post vitrectomy.
  19. Njaka S, Mohd Yusoff D, Anua SM, Kueh YC, Edeogu CO
    Heliyon, 2021 Feb;7(2):e06130.
    PMID: 33644447 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06130
    Quarry workers are commonly afflicted with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This health problem has been recognized as a significant threat to the quarry workers' safety but is rarely reported, particularly in Nigeria. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of MSDs and their associated factors among quarry workers.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and data were collected using a self-administered Standard Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. A total of 266 participants were selected through systematic random sampling method among male and female quarry workers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The data were analysed using SPSS version 26, and descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence and types of MSDs. Simple and multiple logistic regressions were used to identify the factors associated with MSDs.

    RESULTS: The results revealed that majority of the respondents (89.8%) had MSDs, with the most common types being lower back pain (83.1%) and elbow pain (45.9%). Based on multiple logistic regression modelling, BMI (Adjusted OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.06,0.55, p = 0.003), age (Adjusted OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07, 1.23, p < 0.001), work experience (Adjusted OR 2.08, CI 1.00, 4.30, p = 0.049), Vibration exposure (Adjusted OR 0.45, CI 0.27, 0.74, P = 0.002), working hour (Adjusted OR 6.84, CI 0.84, 53.4, p = 0.007) and break time (Adjusted OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91,0.98, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with MSDs.

    CONCLUSION: MSDs are prevalent among the quarry workers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Thus, there is an urgent need to increase the workers' and employers' awareness of appropriate ergonomic and personal measures needed to improve the workers' safety and well-being.

  20. Ng PY, Nafi SNM, Jalil NAC, Kueh YC, Lee YY, Zin AAM
    Croat Med J, 2023 Feb 28;64(1):29-36.
    PMID: 36864816
    AIM: To assess the association of the expression of apolipoprotein B (apoB) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) with the clinicopathological data of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

    METHODS: We obtained 80 CRC histopathological specimens sent to the Pathology Laboratory of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from 2015 to 2019. Data on demographic factors, body mass index (BMI), and clinicopathological characteristics were also collected. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were stained by using an optimized immunohistochemical protocol.

    RESULTS: Patients were mostly older than 50 years, male, Malay, and overweight or obese. A high apoB expression was observed in 87.5% CRC samples (70/80), while a high 4HNE expression was observed in only 17.5% (14/80) of CRCs. The expression of apoB was significantly associated with the sigmoid and rectosigmoid tumor sites (p =0.001) and tumor size 3-5 cm (p =0.005). 4HNE expression was significantly associated with tumor size 3-5 cm (p =0.045). Other variables were not significantly associated with the expression of either marker.

    CONCLUSION: ApoB and 4HNE proteins may play a role in promoting CRC carcinogenesis.

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