Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 33 in total

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  1. Sharoni SKA, Abdul Rahman H, Minhat HS, Shariff Ghazali S, Azman Ong MH
    BMJ Open, 2017 06 08;7(6):e014393.
    PMID: 28600363 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014393
    OBJECTIVE: A pilot self-efficacy education programme was conducted to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of the self-efficacy education programme on improving foot self-care behaviour among older patients with diabetes in a public long-term care institution.

    METHOD: A prequasi-experimental and postquasi-experimental study was conducted in a public long-term care institution in Selangor, Malaysia. Patients with diabetes aged 60 years and above who fulfilled the selection criteria were invited to participate in this programme. Four self-efficacy information sources; performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and physiological information were translated into programme interventions. The programme consisted of four visits over a 12-week period. The first visit included screening and baseline assessment and the second visit involved 30 min of group seminar presentation. The third and fourth visits entailed a 20-min one-to-one follow-up discussion and evaluation. A series of visits to the respondents was conducted throughout the programme. The primary outcome was foot self-care behaviour. Foot self-efficacy (efficacy-expectation), foot care outcome expectation, knowledge of foot care, quality of life, fasting blood glucose and foot condition were secondary outcomes. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics (McNemar's test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test) using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences V.20.0.

    RESULTS: Fifty-two residents were recruited but only 31 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis at baseline and at 12 weeks postintervention. The acceptability rate was moderately high. At postintervention, foot self-care behaviour (p<0.001), foot self-efficacy (efficacy-expectation), (p<0.001), foot care outcome expectation (p<0.001), knowledge of foot care (p<0.001), quality of life (physical symptoms) (p=0.003), fasting blood glucose (p=0.010), foot hygiene (p=0.030) and anhydrosis (p=0.020) showed significant improvements.

    CONCLUSION: Findings from this pilot study would facilitate the planning of a larger study among the older population with diabetes living in long-term care institutions.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12616000210471; Pre-results.
  2. A. Hamid M.S., Shariff-Ghazali S., Abdul Karim S.
    JUMMEC, 2019;22(2):49-55.
    MyJurnal
    Background: Studies on the anthropometric, physical and physiological characteristics among Malaysian Paralympic powerlifters are limited. This study examined the sociodemographic, clinical information and anthropometric physical parameters of Paralympic powerlifters in Malaysia.

    Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during a Powerlifting Workshop and National Championship in 2016. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on powerlifters’ sociodemographic, sports participation history and medical information. All participants underwent a structured physical medical examination and anthropometric assessments.

    Results: Fifty-two powerlifters participated in this study. Mean age of participants was 24.50±SD8.25 year. The majority of the participants were men (82.7%) and most had spinal cord injury (34.6%) or amputation of the lower limb (26.9%). Most of the powerlifters competed at district and state level championships and 42.3% had represented Malaysia at international competitions. Women powerlifters had a significantly higher amount of body fat compared to men (35.61% vs 19.80%; p=0.003). Male power-lifters had significantly longer arm and forearm length (30.10±IQR3.00 cm vs 23.00±IQR2.13 cm; p=0.020). A significantly positive relationship was found between age, experience, weight, BMI, LBM, arm circumferences (relaxed and tensed) and the powerlifter’s best lift. Age, experience, body weight, BMI, lean body mass, body fat, hip circumference and arm circumferences (relaxed and tensed) met the criteria for inclusion in a multivariate model. Years of experience and non-dominant arm circumference (tensed) were significant predictors of best lifts among powerlifters.

    Conclusion: In conclusion, assessment of anthropometric measures could be useful in monitoring athletes’ progress with training and have a role in the talent identification program for Paralympic powerlifters.
  3. Ramli R, Hanafi NS, Hussein N, Lee PY, Shariff Ghazali S, Cheong AT, et al.
    PMID: 36852891 DOI: 10.1177/10105395231158684
    Asthma exacerbations are among the commonest reasons for hospitalizations in Malaysian pilgrims during the Hajj. We interviewed 21 stakeholders involved in the pre-Hajj health examination at 14 primary care clinics, to explore their perceptions on barriers to and facilitators of asthma care for Hajj pilgrims. The disadvantages of the short time frame and centralized organization of the pre-Hajj health examinations were viewed as compromising clinicians' level of competencies in asthma care, which could potentially be enhanced through more training, audit, and supervision by specialists. Longer time frame to permit sufficient disease control, provision of care by a dedicated asthma team, asthma registry to support continuous care, more resources of long-acting β-agonist/inhaled corticosteroid, and provision of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines at no cost were the perceived facilitators. Delivery of asthma education, especially the asthma action plan, should be tailored to the level of the pilgrim's health literacy and facilitated by educational resources, family engagement, and regular health briefing.
  4. Wee SY, Salim H, Mawardi M, Koh YLE, Ali H, Shariff Ghazali S, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2021 06 14;11(6):e044192.
    PMID: 34127489 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044192
    OBJECTIVES: To compare the sociodemography, disease characteristics and hypertension self-care profiles and to determine the factors influencing Hypertension Self-Care Profiles (HTN-SCP) in two populations in primary care settings from Singapore and Malaysia.

    DESIGN: Cross-sectional, cross national.

    SETTING: Multi-centre, primary care clinics Malaysia and Singapore.

    PARTICIPANTS: 1123 adults with hypertension enrolled and analysed.

    PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison between sociodemography, disease characteristics and the mean scores of HTN-SCP domains (behaviour, motivation and self-efficacy) and the factors influencing hypertension self-care.

    RESULTS: 1123 adults with hypertension attending primary care clinics in Malaysia and Singapore were involved. The participants' mean age was 63.6 years (SD 9.7) in Singapore and 60.4 (SD 9.1) in Malaysia. Most of the participants in Singapore had tertiary education (22.3%) compared with Malaysia (13.0%), p<0.001. A higher proportion of participants from Singapore had controlled blood pressure (74.6%) compared with Malaysia (33.8%), p<0.001. The mean total score of HTN-SCP was significantly higher among Singapore participants compared with Malaysia participants 190 (SD 28) versus 184 (SD 23) (p<0.001). Similarly, the mean score for motivation domain 67 (SD 10) versus 65 (SD 9), followed by self-efficacy score 65 (SD 11) versus 62 (SD 9) and behaviour score (58 SD 9 vs 56 SD 9) were higher among Singapore participants. In both countries, the factors which influenced higher HTN-SCP mean scores across all domains were being Indian and had tertiary education.

    CONCLUSIONS: The study population in Singapore had a higher HTN-SCP mean score compared with Malaysia. The common factors influencing higher HTN-SCP mean scores at both study sites were ethnicity and level of education. Future intervention to improve self-care among people with hypertension may need to be tailored to their behaviour, motivation and self-efficacy levels.

  5. Zhao Y, Rokhani FZ, Shariff Ghazali S, Chew BH
    BMJ Open, 2021 02 18;11(2):e041452.
    PMID: 33602703 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041452
    INTRODUCTION: Smart technologies, digital health and eHealth have been shown to enhance institutional elderly care. Because of the rapidly ageing societies, information technologies in geriatric healthcare are urgently needed. A lot of innovation in smart healthcare has occurred in the past decade, and its use in nursing care assessment, daily living activities and service management is yet to be defined. More fundamentally, the concepts, definitions and scopes of a smart nursing home are still vague. Thus, this scoping review aims to examine the extent, range (variety) and nature (characteristics) of evidence on the existing smart concepts and feasible healthcare technologies, types of medical services in nursing home settings and acceptability of a smart nursing home by the elderly people ≥60 years old, their caregivers, nursing home operators and government agencies.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review will be guided by the smart technology adoption behaviours of elder consumers theoretical model (Elderadopt) by Golant and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews. First, we will conduct an internet search for nursing homes and websites and databases related to the stakeholders to retrieve the definitions, concepts and criteria of a smart nursing home (phase 1). Second, we will conduct an additional systematic electronic database search for published articles on any measures of technological feasibility and integration of medical services in nursing home settings and their acceptability by nursing home residents and caregivers (phase 2). The electronic database search will be carried out from 1999 to 30 September 2020 and limited to works published in English and Chinese languages. For phase 2, the selection of literature is further limited to residents of nursing homes aged ≥60 years old with or without medical needs but are not terminally ill or bed-bound. Qualitative data analysis will follow the Framework Methods and thematic analysis using combined inductive and deductive approaches, conducted by at least two reviewers.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol is registered on osf.io (URL: https://osf.io/qtwz2/). Ethical approval is not necessary as the scoping review is not a primary study, and the information is collected from selected articles that are publicly available sources. All findings will be disseminated at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

  6. Chew BH, Mastura I, Shariff-Ghazali S, Lee PY, Cheong AT, Ahmad Z, et al.
    Cardiovasc Diabetol, 2012;11:54.
    PMID: 22607105 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2840-11-54
    BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is a significant contributor of morbidity and even mortality in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. This study was done to determine the significant determinants of uncontrolled blood pressure in T2D patients in Malaysia.
    METHODS: Between 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2009, data from 70 889 patients with Type 2 diabetes was obtained from the Adult Diabetes Control and Management Registry for analysis; 303 centers participated in the study. Their demographic characteristics, the nature of their diabetes, their state of hypertension, treatment modalities, risk factors, and complications are described. Based on their most recent BP values, subjects were divided into controlled BP and uncontrolled BP and their clinical determinants compared. Independent determinants were identified using multivariate logistic regression.
    RESULTS: The mean age of patients at diagnosis of diabetes was 52.3 +/- 11.1 years old. Most were women (59.0 %) and of Malay ethnicity (61.9 %). The mean duration of diabetes was 5.9 +/- 5.6 years. A total of 57.4 % were hypertensive. Of the 56 503 blood pressure (BP) measured, 13 280 (23.5 %) patients had BP <130/80 mmHg. Eighteen percent was on > two anti-hypertensive agents. Health clinics without doctor, older age (>/= 50 years old), shorter duration of diabetes (< 5 years), Malay, overweight were determinants for uncontrolled blood pressure (BP >/=130/80 mmHg). Patients who were on anti-hypertensive agent/s were 2.7 times more likely to have BP >/=130/80 mmHg. Type 2 diabetes patients who had ischaemic heart disease or nephropathy were about 20 % and 15 % more likely to have their blood pressure treated to target respectively.
    CONCLUSIONS: Major independent determinants of uncontrolled BP in our group of T2D patients were Malay ethnicity, older age, recent diagnosis of diabetes, overweight and follow-up at health clinics without a doctor and possibly the improper use of anti hypertensive agent. More effort, education and resources, especially in the primary health care centres are needed to improve hypertensive care among our patients with diabetes.
  7. Muhammed A, Shariff-Ghazali S, Md Said S, Hassan M, Lee K
    Birth, 2023 Sep;50(3):587-595.
    PMID: 36226886 DOI: 10.1111/birt.12681
    BACKGROUND: The majority of women in Sokoto, Nigeria prefer homebirths, but midwives are reluctant to provide care in the home setting. As such, many women continue to give birth at home alone or assisted by untrained attendants, which is associated with an increased risk for maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

    METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 226 midwives from 10 health care facilities. The intervention group received an educational program on home birth. A validated questionnaire that evaluated knowledge, attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intention to provide planned home birth care was given at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at three-months follow-up. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effect model statistics.

    RESULTS: Following the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated higher knowledge and more positive attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intention to provide planned home birth care compared with the control group (P  0.05).

    DISCUSSION: Educating midwives on planned home birth increases their willingness to provide planned home birth care. Health system administrators, policymakers, and researchers may use similar interventions to promote skilled home birth attendance by midwives. Increasing the number of midwives who are willing to attend planned home births provides women at low risk for medical complications with safer options for labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

  8. Salim H, Shariff Ghazali S, Lee PY, Cheong AT, Harrun NH, Mohamed Isa S, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2021 06 22;21(1):1186.
    PMID: 34158013 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11194-w
    BACKGROUND: Limited health literacy among people with asthma is associated with poor adherence to self-management activities, thus poor clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of health literacy level and its determinants among people with asthma in the Malaysian primary healthcare settings.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among participants aged > 18 years with asthma who attended five primary health clinics in Malaysia. Systematic random sampling was employed with a final sample of 550 participants. The questionnaires included the validated Malay version of Health Literacy Scale (HLS) and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the determinants for limited health literacy.

    RESULTS: The participants mean age of the participants was 48 (SD15.4) years. Most of the participants were women (64%) and of Malay ethnicity (51.1%). Nearly half had a secondary level of education, n = 112, (45.8%). Mean duration of asthma diagnosis is 20.6 (SD 15.9) years. More than half (62.5%) had a family history of asthma. About half (50.9%) had uncontrolled asthma, with 87.3% self-rated themselves as having controlled asthma. About a third (29.1%) received education on of asthma action plan, but only 7.1% of these owned a written version an asthma action plan. Limited health literacy accounts for 60.5% of the participants. The significant determinants for limited health literacy included lower educational attainment (p 

  9. Cheong AT, Lee PY, Shariff-Ghazali S, Salim H, Hussein N, Ramli R, et al.
    NPJ Prim Care Respir Med, 2021 Nov 29;31(1):47.
    PMID: 34845205 DOI: 10.1038/s41533-021-00257-5
    Implementing asthma guideline recommendations is challenging in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to explore healthcare provider (HCP) perspectives on the provision of recommended care. Twenty-six HCPs from six public primary care clinics in a semi-urban district of Malaysia were purposively sampled based on roles and experience. Focus group discussions were guided by a semi-structured interview guide and analysed thematically. HCPs had access to guidelines and training but highlighted multiple infrastructure-related challenges to implementing recommended care. Diagnosis and review of asthma control were hampered by limited access to spirometry and limited asthma control test (ACT) use, respectively. Treatment decisions were limited by poor availability of inhaled combination therapy (ICS/LABA) and free spacer devices. Imposed Ministry of Health programmes involving other non-communicable diseases were prioritised over asthma. Ministerial policies need practical resources and organisational support if quality improvement programmes are to facilitate better management of asthma in public primary care clinics.
  10. Salim H, Young I, Lee PY, Shariff-Ghazali S, Pinnock H, RESPIRE collaboration
    Health Expect, 2022 Feb;25(1):163-176.
    PMID: 34514689 DOI: 10.1111/hex.13360
    BACKGROUND: Adjusting to life with a chronic condition is challenging, especially for people with limited health literacy, which is associated with low compliance with self-management activities and poor clinical outcomes.

    OBJECTIVE: We explored how people with limited health literacy understand asthma and undertake self-management practices.

    DESIGN: We adapted the arts-based qualitative methodology Photovoice.

    SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We sampled ethnically diverse adults with asthma and limited health literacy from four primary healthcare clinics in Malaysia. After a semistructured in-depth interview, a subset of participants took part in the Photovoice component in which participants undertook a 2-week photo-taking activity and subsequent photo-interview. Interviews, conducted in participants' preferred language, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated and analysed thematically. We used the Sorensen's framework (Domains: access, understand, appraise, apply) to describe participants' experience of living with asthma, what they understood about asthma and how they decided on self-management practices.

    RESULTS: Twenty-six participants provided interviews; eight completed the Photovoice activities. Participants with limited health literacy used various sources to access information about asthma and self-management. Doctor-patient communication had a pivotal role in helping patients understand asthma. The lack of appraisal skills was significant and experiential knowledge influenced how they applied information. Self-management decisions were influenced by sociocultural norms/practices, stigmatizing experiences, and available social support.

    CONCLUSION: Locally tailored multilevel interventions (interpersonal, health system, community and policy) will be needed to support people with limited health literacy to live optimally with their asthma in an ethnically diverse population.

    PATIENT/PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients were involved in the study design, recruitment, analysis and dissemination.

  11. Chew BH, Lee PY, Cheong AT, Ismail M, Shariff-Ghazali S, Goh PP
    Prim Care Diabetes, 2016 10;10(5):383-6.
    PMID: 27459893 DOI: 10.1016/j.pcd.2016.07.003
    A persistent and increasing prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus has recently been reported in the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015. This commentary recapitulates the relevant and valuable lessons in the Malaysian national diabetes registries to inform the healthcare stakeholders and policy makers on potential areas of clinical practice improvement and future researches. Under performance of the process measures and sub-optimal control of HbA1c, blood pressure and lipids profile were prevalent (<40% achieved treatment targets). Although these had improved slightly from 2009 to 2012, diabetes co-morbidities (hypertension and dyslipidaemia) and complications had also increased. Prevalence of insulin use had doubled, and lipid lowering agent use had increased about 50% in 2012 compared to 2009. We identified six clinical areas for urgent attention and improvement, and three potential areas for future research.
  12. Chew BH, Mohd-Sidik S, Shariff-Ghazali S
    Health Qual Life Outcomes, 2015 Nov 24;13:187.
    PMID: 26596372 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-015-0384-4
    BACKGROUND: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) often experienced change in life, altered self-esteem and increased feelings of uncertainty about the future that challenge their present existence and their perception of quality of life (QoL). There was a dearth of data on the association between diabetes-related distress (DRD) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study examined the determinants of HRQoL, in particular the association between DRD and HRQoL by taking into account the socio-demographic-clinical variables, including depressive symptoms (DS) in adult patients with T2D.
    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012-2013 in three public health clinics in Malaysia. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF), 17-items Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17), and 9-items Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to measure HRQoL, DRD and DS, respectively. The aim of this research was to examine the association between the socio-demographic-clinical variables and HRQoL as well as each of the WHOQOL-BREF domain score using multivariable regression analyses.
    RESULTS: The response rate was 93.1% (700/752). The mean (SD) for age was 56.9 (10.18). The majority of the patients were female (52.8%), Malay (53.1%) and married (79.1%). About 60% of the patients had good overall HRQoL. The mean (SD) for Overall QoL, Physical QoL, Psychological QoL, Social Relationship QoL and Environmental QoL were 61.7 (9.86), 56.7 (10.64), 57.9 (11.73), 66.8 (15.01) and 65.3 (13.02), respectively. The mean (SD) for the total DDS-17 score was 37.1 (15.98), with 19.6% (136/694) had moderate distress. DDS-17 had a negative association with HRQoL but religiosity had a positive influence on HRQoL (B ranged between 3.07 and 4.76). Women, especially younger Malays, who had diabetes for a shorter period of time experienced better HRQoL. However, patients who were not married, had dyslipidaemia, higher levels of total cholesterol and higher PHQ-9 scores had lower HRQoL. Macrovascular complications showed the largest negative effect on the overall HRQoL (adjusted B = -4.98, 95% CI -8.56 to -1.40).
    CONCLUSION: The majority of primary care adult with T2D had good overall HRQoL. Furthermore, the independent determinants for HRQoL had also concurred with many past studies. In addition, the researchers found that DRD had negative effects on HRQoL, but religiosity had positive influence on HRQoL. Appropriate support such as primary care is needed for adult patients with T2D to improve their life and their HRQoL.
    TRIAL REGISTRATION: NMRR-12-1167-14158.
  13. Soh KL, Shariff Ghazali S, Soh KG, Abdul Raman R, Sharif Abdullah SS, Ong SL
    J Infect Dev Ctries, 2012 Apr;6(4):333-9.
    PMID: 22505443
    INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection in intensive care units (ICUs). One factor causing VAP is aspiration of oral colonisation, which may result from poor oral care practice. Oral care using tooth brushing can prevent formulation of dental plaque that can be a reservoir for microbes causing VAP.
    METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 124 nurses, using a self-administered questionnaire, to determine methods used, frequency, and attitude of nurses toward oral care provided to mechanically ventilated patients in Malaysian ICUs.
    RESULTS: Methods for oral care and their frequency of use varied between nurses even in the same unit. Cotton with forceps was used by 73.4% of the nurses. Some nurses used forceps and gauze (65%) or spatulas and gauze (36%). Toothbrushes were used by 50.8% of the nurses. Nurses in this hospital reported to have positive attitude toward providing oral care.
    CONCLUSIONS: The survey showed the need to have standardised oral care protocols in ICUs to improve quality of oral care provided to ventilated patients.
  14. Abdollahi F, Lye MS, Md Zain A, Shariff Ghazali S, Zarghami M
    PMID: 24644441
    OBJECTIVE: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common health problem which affects women in the postpartum period. This is a brief note on its associated factors in women from different cultures.
    METHODS: A literature review was performed in MEDLINE and Pubmed from 1991 to 2008 and Magiran from 1991 to 2009. Additional articles and book chapters were referenced from these sources.
    RESULTS: The prevalence of postpartum depression has been reported to be from 0.5% to 60% globally, and from 3.5% to 63.3% in Asian countries, in which Malaysia and Pakistan had respectively the lowest and highest rates. One of the factors contributing to PPD in Asian societies can be that women may not have the empowerment to reject traditional rituals that are imposed on them by their caregivers. Unsatisfactory pre-existing relationships between the mothers and their caregivers resulting in mothers experiencing difficulties during their confinement period may be another factor. Thirdly, some features of these traditional rituals may be the cause of tension, stress and emotional distress. Emotional conflicts caused by insistence on practice of traditional rituals during the postpartum period may lead to mental breakdown.
    CONCLUSION: Health care professionals should be aware that the phenomenon in Asian cultures is as prevalent as European cultures. Moreover, further research needs to be conducted on the global prevalence of the experiences of childbearing women with depressive symptoms.
    KEYWORDS: Cultures; Postpartum depression; Risk factors
  15. Chew BH, Lee PY, Shariff-Ghazali S, Cheong AT, Ismail M, Taher SW
    Curr Diabetes Rev, 2015;11(2):122-31.
    PMID: 25619541 DOI: 10.2174/1573399811666150115105206
    This study examined the factors associated with follow-up non-attendance (FUNA) and mortality among the adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Data on 57780 T2DM patients from the 2009 diabetes registry were analyzed using multinomial logistic mixed model. Out of 57780 patients, 3140 (5.4%) were lost to follow-up and 203 (0.4%) patients had died. Compared with patients who were under active follow-up, men (OR 1.37), neither on insulin (OR 1.72), nor on antiplatelet agents (OR 1.47), having higher HbA1c (OR 1.15), higher LDL-C (OR 1.18) and complications (OR 1.33) were associated with FUNA. Older age (OR 1.09) and higher LDL-C (OR 2.27) have higher mortality. Across the four different health facilities, medication use (insulin and anti-platelet agents) to achieve better disease control in the younger age when diabetes complication is absent would not cause FUNA and might reduce mortality.
  16. Abdullah NA, Ismail S, Shariff Ghazali S, Juni HF, Kadir Shahar H, Aziz NRA
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the factors and predictors of good glycaemic control among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in two rural government health clinics in Kuala Selangor. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 200 patients selected through systematic random sampling from a list of T2DM patients in two government health clinics in Kuala Selangor. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire while glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) results were obtained from the patients’ blood results re- cord at the clinic. HbA1c of 6.5 % and below was categorized as good glycaemic control. The factors studied were socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, occupation and household income), T2DM medical history (T2DM duration and type of treatment), diabetes knowledge, health literacy, adherence to treatment, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity. Pearson’s chi square test was used to test for associations and multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the predictors. Results: The response rate was 86.9%. The pro- portion of good glycaemic control was 34.0%. Level of glycaemic control was significantly associated with duration of being diagnosed with T2DM (p=0.006) and type of treatment (p=0.009). The probability of having good glycaemic control was 2.5 times more likely among respondents diagnosed with T2DM for less than 10 years (AOR=2.458, 95% of CI=1.504-14.282, p=0.037). Conclusion: Shorter duration of being diagnosed with T2DM has been found to be a predictor of good glycaemic control in this study population, thus warranting stricter monitoring among patients who have been diagnosed for a longer period.
  17. Muhammed A, Khuan L, Shariff-Ghazali S, Said SM, Hassan M
    Midwifery, 2019 Jun;73:62-68.
    PMID: 30884373 DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2019.03.004
    OBJECTIVE: Planned home birth may increase women's access to skilled midwives in all settings. Using theory to understand and predict midwives' intention regarding planned home birth services is rare. Therefore, using the theory of planned behaviour, we determined the factors associated with midwives' intention to provide planned home birth services to low-risk women.

    DESIGN: This cross-sectional study adopted a quantitative approach and a survey. Stratified random sampling was used to recruit 226 midwives in Sokoto, Nigeria. Data-including descriptive statistic and multiple linear regression analyses-were analysed using SPSS 23 and significant was set at 0.05.

    SETTING: Ten public health facilities in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria.

    PARTICIPANTS: Among all 460 midwives (women aged 20-60 years), working in the maternity wards of health facilities in Sokoto, a sample of 226 midwives was calculated using a power of 0.80 and a 95% confidence interval.

    FINDINGS: The multiple linear regression analyses confirmed that the major factors associated with midwives' intention to provide planned home birth services were midwives' attitude towards planned home birth (p < .001) and midwives' previous experience with planned home birth practice (p = .008).

    CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The theory of planned behaviour is a useful framework for identifying factors that affect midwives' intention to provide planned home birth services. While future research may employ a qualitative approach to explore other factors, planned home birth education campaigns should target information that enhances positive attitude and encourages midwives to provide planned home birth services.

  18. Shariff Ghazali S, Seman Z, Zainuddin NH, Omar MA, Sooryanarayana R, Ariaratnam S, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2021 10 20;11(10):e052126.
    PMID: 34670764 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052126
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with multimorbidity among community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia.

    DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional study.

    SETTING: 13 states and 3 Federal Territories in Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: A total of 3966 adults aged 60 years and above were extracted from the nationwide National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2018 data set.

    PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Multimorbidity was defined as co-occurrence of at least two known chronic non-communicable diseases in the same individual. The chronic diseases included hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and cancer.

    RESULTS: The prevalence of multimorbidity among Malaysian older adults was 40.6% (95% CI: 37.9 to 43.3). The factors associated with multimorbidity were those aged 70-79 years (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.30; 95% CI=1.04 to 1.63; p=0.019), of Indian (AOR=1.69; 95% CI=1.14 to 2.52; p=0.010) and Bumiputera Sarawak ethnicities (AOR=1.81; 95% CI=1.14 to 2.89; p=0.013), unemployed (AOR=1.53; 95% CI=1.20 to 1.95; p=0.001), with functional limitation from activities of daily livings (AOR=1.66; 95% CI=1.17 to 2.37; p=0.005), physically inactive (AOR=1.28; 95% CI=1.03 to 1.60; p=0.026), being overweight (AOR=1.62; 95% CI=1.11 to 2.36; p=0.014), obese (AOR=1.88; 95% CI=1.27 to 2.77; p=0.002) and with abdominal obesity (AOR=1.52; 95% CI=1.11 to 2.07; p=0.009).

    CONCLUSION: This study highlighted that multimorbidity was prevalent among older adults in the community. Thus, there is a need for future studies to evaluate preventive strategies to prevent or delay multimorbidity among older adults in order to promote healthy and productive ageing.

  19. Fung FY, Koh YLE, Malhotra R, Ostbye T, Lee PY, Shariff Ghazali S, et al.
    BMC Geriatr, 2019 04 29;19(1):122.
    PMID: 31035928 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-019-1137-8
    BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, which increases fall risks in older persons. Hyperglycemia relating to Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is postulated to aggravate sarcopenia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia among ambulatory community-dwelling older patients, aged 60-89 years, with T2DM in a primary care setting and to identify factors which mitigate sarcopenia.

    METHODS: A total of 387 patients were recruited from a public primary care clinic in Singapore. Data on their socio-demography, clinical and functional status, levels of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and frailty status was collected. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria were used to define sarcopenia based on muscle mass, grip strength and gait speed.

    RESULTS: The study population comprised men (53%), Chinese (69%), mean age = 68.3 ± SD5.66 years, lived in public housing (90%), had hypertension (88%) and dyslipidemia (96%). Their mean muscle mass was 6.3 ± SD1.2 kg/m2; mean gait speed was 1.0 ± SD0.2 m/s and mean grip strength was 25.5 ± SD8.1 kg. Overall, 30% had pre-sarcopenia, 24% with sarcopenia and 4% with severe sarcopenia. Age (OR = 1.14; 95%CI = 1.09-1.20;p 

  20. Ariaratnam S, Rodzlan Hasani WS, Krishnapillai AD, Abd Hamid HA, Jane Ling MY, Ho BK, et al.
    PLoS One, 2020;15(9):e0238566.
    PMID: 32915860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238566
    BACKGROUND: Obesity is a crucial public health problem and is rising globally. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity and its associated factors among the elderly in Malaysia.
    METHODS: Data were obtained from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015. This was a cross sectional population-based study using a two stage stratified random sampling design. Elderly population aged 60 years and above was selected. Data were collected using pre-tested self-administered questionnaire in the form of sociodemographic profile, non-communicable diseases (NCD) comorbidities (status on hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia) and NCD risk factors (current smoker and physical activity). Obesity has been defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) Body Mass Index (BMI) guideline, 1998. A complex sampling design analysis was used for the descriptive statistics. The associated risk factors for obesity were identified using Multiple Logistic Regression analysis.
    RESULTS: A total of 3794 respondents were included in this study. The prevalence of obesity among Malaysian elderly was 30.2%. The prevalence of obesity among the elderly was significantly higher in females, respondents from urban areas and Indians. Approximately one third of the elderly with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension (33.1%) and diabetes (38.8%), respectively, were obese. Among elderly who were obese, majority of them (89.8%) had at least one NCD. The prevalence of obesity was 16.8% among current smokers (aOR 0.59). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that elderly females (aOR [adjusted odds ratio] 1.52), having secondary education (aOR 1.96) with household income of RM 3000 and above (aOR 1.57) as well as being hypertensive (aOR 1.61) and diabetic (aOR 1.50) were more likely to be obese. In contrast, the Chinese elderly respondents (aOR 0.62) and current smokers (aOR 0.59) were less likely to be obese. There were no significant associations of obesity with hypercholesterolemia or with physical activity.
    CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of Malaysian elderly were obese, and factors associated with obesity among them were being female, having secondary education with a household income of RM 3000 and above and being hypertensive or diabetic. Enhanced health promotion and education should be targeted at younger people in order to prevent obesity in the later years.
    Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2015)
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