Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 28 in total

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  1. Ruslan NH, Yasin SM, Mohd Nasir N, Isa MR
    Tob Use Insights, 2023;16:1179173X231179811.
    PMID: 37255578 DOI: 10.1177/1179173X231179811
    This study examined a supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme's effectiveness in regulating the Tobacco Withdrawal Symptoms (TWS) during temporary abstinence. This was a single group, pre and post-quasi intervention study. Thirty daily smokers participated in an 8-week supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme. We assessed the TWS, smoking urge, mood and stress-pleasure related hormonal variables after the aerobic exercise intervention. The measurements were conducted after overnight abstinence at baseline, post-intervention (at week-8) and post-detraining (at week-10). TWS components, smoking urge and mood were found to improve. For hormonal variables, cortisol and beta-endorphin except adrenaline showed insignificant changes at post-intervention and de-training. The findings suggest moderate-intensity exercise might help in reducing withdrawal symptoms and its adverse effects. Thus, exercise is an effective adjunct treatment in a smoking cessation programme.
  2. Yasin SM, Ibrahim S, Johan MR
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:547076.
    PMID: 25133244 DOI: 10.1155/2014/547076
    New solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) doped with lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF3SO3), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) plasticizer, and zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles were prepared by solution-casting technique. The conductivity was enhanced by addition of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) plasticizer and ZrO2 nanofiller with maximum conductivity (1.38 × 10(-4) Scm(-1)). The absorption edge and band gap values showed decreases upon addition of LiSO3CF3, DBP, and ZrO2 due to the formation of localized states in the SPE and the degree of disorder in the films increased.
  3. Yasin SM, Moy FM, Retneswari M, Isahak M, Koh D
    Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2012 Jul;16(7):980-5.
    PMID: 22507850 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.11.0748
    Many smokers attempt to quit smoking, but very few succeed.
  4. Yasin SM, Masilamani R, Ming MF, Koh D, Zaki RA
    PMID: 23082600
    Perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking may be important factors in successful treatment. This study examined the association between initial perceived risks and benefits of quitting smoking and outcomes during a two month smoking cessation attempt. Participants (n = 185) were treatment-seeking smokers attending two smoking cessation clinics in Klang Valley, Malaysia. They received structured behavioral therapy and free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Prior to treatment, a 12 item Perceived Risks and Benefits Questionnaire (PRBQ) was administered. This was used to assess the smoker's initial perceptions during their quit attempt. Participants were re-contacted at the end of two months to determine their smoking status. The results show participants intending to quit demonstrated a greater understanding of the benefits of quitting smoking than the risks of quitting. Those with a higher education level had a greater understanding of the benefits of quitting (p = 0.02). PRBQ items, such as perceived risks of quitting (ie weight gain, negative affect, social ostracism, loss of enjoyment and craving) were not associated with abstinence at two months. However, those who perceived a benefit of higher physical attraction post-cessation were less likely to have stopped smoking at two months (OR 0.18; 95% CI 0.08-0.45). Other perceived benefits at baseline, such as health, general well-being, self-esteem, finances and social approval, were not associated with smoking cessation at two months. The results suggest that in our study population, smokers' baseline perceptions of the benefits of cessation of smoking prior to therapy are not associated with quit results at two months. Counseling patients regarding the advantages and disadvantages of quitting may have changed their perceptions during quitting process and should be further explored in future studies.
    Study site: Smoking cessation clinics, University Malaya and Universiti Teknology Mara, Klang Valley, Malaysia
  5. Nasir NM, Ariffin F, Yasin SM
    Med J Malaysia, 2018 06;73(3):163-169.
    PMID: 29962500 MyJurnal
    INTRODUCTION: Medication adherence has been found to be an important determinant in achieving glycaemic control in Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) patients. In other patient populations, physician-patient interaction satisfaction was found to influence medication adherence. It is then important to identify if this is also a factor amongst T2DM patients on insulin as poor adherence was associated with increased all-cause mortality.

    METHODS: This was a cross sectional study involving 197 T2DM patients on insulin from two government primary health clinics in Gombak. Physician-patient interaction satisfaction was assessed using Skala Kepuasan Interaksi Perubatan (SKIP-11) consisting of 3 subdomains (Distress Relief, Rapport and Interaction Outcome). Medication adherence level was measured using a single item selfreport question. Data analysis for descriptive, inferential and multivariate analysis statistics were performed.

    RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 57.12 (SD: 9.27). Majority were Malay, female, unemployed with mean BMI of 27.5. Majority reported full adherence (62.9%). High scores in the Interaction Outcome subdomain was associated with better adherence. Factors associated with high scores in this subdomain included patient education level, number of oral hypoglycaemic agent and type of insulin regime taken. This study also found that high scores in the Interaction Outcome domain is associated with lower HbA1c (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: Physician-patient interaction satisfaction is an important factor in achieving better medication adherence which also leads to better glycaemic control in this group of patients. There is a need to identify strategies to improve satisfaction in this domain to improve patient adherence.

  6. Hussien HM, Yasin SM, Udzir NI, Ninggal MIH
    Sensors (Basel), 2021 Apr 02;21(7).
    PMID: 33918266 DOI: 10.3390/s21072462
    Blockchain technology provides a tremendous opportunity to transform current personal health record (PHR) systems into a decentralised network infrastructure. However, such technology possesses some drawbacks, such as issues in privacy and storage capacity. Given its transparency and decentralised features, medical data are visible to everyone on the network and are inappropriate for certain medical applications. By contrast, storing vast medical data, such as patient medical history, laboratory tests, X-rays, and MRIs, significantly affect the repository storage of blockchain. This study bridges the gap between PHRs and blockchain technology by offloading the vast medical data into the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) storage and establishing an enforced cryptographic authorisation and access control scheme for outsourced encrypted medical data. The access control scheme is constructed on the basis of the new lightweight cryptographic concept named smart contract-based attribute-based searchable encryption (SC-ABSE). This newly cryptographic primitive is developed by extending ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) and searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) and by leveraging the technology of smart contracts to achieve the following: (1) efficient and secure fine-grained access control of outsourced encrypted data, (2) confidentiality of data by eliminating trusted private key generators, and (3) multikeyword searchable mechanism. Based on decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman hardness assumptions (DBDH) and discrete logarithm (DL) problems, the rigorous security indistinguishability analysis indicates that SC-ABSE is secure against the chosen-keyword attack (CKA) and keyword secrecy (KS) in the standard model. In addition, user collusion attacks are prevented, and the tamper-proof resistance of data is ensured. Furthermore, security validation is verified by simulating a formal verification scenario using Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA), thereby unveiling that SC-ABSE is resistant to man-in-the-middle (MIM) and replay attacks. The experimental analysis utilised real-world datasets to demonstrate the efficiency and utility of SC-ABSE in terms of computation overhead, storage cost and communication overhead. The proposed scheme is also designed and developed to evaluate throughput and latency transactions using a standard benchmark tool known as Caliper. Lastly, simulation results show that SC-ABSE has high throughput and low latency, with an ultimate increase in network life compared with traditional healthcare systems.
  7. Sharani ZZ, Ismail N, Yasin SM, Isa MR, Razali A, Sherzkawee MA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(6):e0287374.
    PMID: 37319310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287374
    INTRODUCTION: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) and smoking during TB treatment are major challenges for TB control programs. Smoking increases the severity and prolongs TB treatment duration, which lead to a higher rate of LTFU. We aim to develop a prognostic scoring tool to predict LTFU among TB patients who smoke to improve successful TB treatment outcomes.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The development of the prognostic model utilized prospectively collected longitudinal data of adult TB patients who smoked in the state of Selangor between 2013 until 2017, which were obtained from the Malaysian Tuberculosis Information System (MyTB) database. Data were randomly split into development and internal validation cohorts. A simple prognostic score (T-BACCO SCORE) was constructed based on the regression coefficients of predictors in the final logistic model of the development cohort. Estimated missing data was 2.8% from the development cohort and was completely at random. Model discrimination was determined using c-statistics (AUCs), and calibration was based on the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test and calibration plot.

    RESULTS: The model highlights several variables with different T-BACCO SCORE values as predictors for LTFU among TB patients who smoke (e.g., age group, ethnicity, locality, nationality, educational level, monthly income level, employment status, TB case category, TB detection methods, X-ray categories, HIV status, and sputum status). The prognostic scores were categorized into three groups that predict the risk for LTFU: low-risk (<15 points), medium-risk (15 to 25 points) and high-risk (> 25 points). The model exhibited fair discrimination with a c-statistic of 0.681 (95% CI 0.627-0.710) and good calibration with a nonsignificant chi-square Hosmer‒Lemeshow's goodness of fit test χ2 = 4.893 and accompanying p value of 0.769.

    CONCLUSION: Predicting LTFU among TB patients who smoke in the early phase of TB treatment is achievable using this simple T-BACCO SCORE. The applicability of the tool in clinical settings helps health care professionals manage TB smokers based on their risk scores. Further external validation should be carried out prior to use.

  8. Mohd Asri IA, Abd Rani NA, Dzulkifli Z, Muhamad Jamil MI, Ahmad Saman MS, Yasin SM
    MyJurnal
    Tobacco use is one of the largest causes of preventable diseases across the world. It is interesting to note that second-hand smoke exposure is a major public health problem in Malaysia. The objectives of this study are first, to explore the perspectives of pregnant mothers whose partners are smokers, and second, to explore barriers and facilitators to creating a smoke-free environment in their home. This study uses a qualitative method in analysing the experiences of 15 pregnant mothers taken from a specialist healthcare centre in Sungai Buloh, Malaysia. It discusses the perspectives of these pregnant mothers towards their partners’ smoking habits, as well as the barriers and facilitators in creating a smoke-free home. From the interviews, it became apparent that pregnant mothers despised their partners’ smoking habits due to smoke odour, lack of money, and poor health. The barriers in creating a smoke-free home include the attitude of the smoking spouse, difficulty in weaning off the habit, excessive encouragement by a spouse, difficultly in advising a smoking spouse, influences from friends, and wrong perceptions. Meanwhile, the facilitators towards creating a smoke-free home are illnesses developed through smoking, multiple reminders from family members, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) were perceived to work on certain smokers and habitual cues in quitting smoking. The transition process towards making homes smoke-free is complex and individualistic; healthcare professionals may need to tailor strategies to take into account the specific contexts of each individual. More education programmes on the impacts of smoking and second-hand smoke exposures to family members and smoking cessation are needed for both pregnant mothers and their smoking partners.
    Study site: Gynaecology Clinic, public teaching hospital, Malaysia
  9. Yasin SM, Retneswari M, Moy FM, Darus A, Koh D
    Occup Med (Lond), 2012 Apr;62(3):174-81.
    PMID: 22362839 DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqs005
    Job stressors may reduce the likelihood of quitting smoking.
  10. Hussien HM, Yasin SM, Udzir SNI, Zaidan AA, Zaidan BB
    J Med Syst, 2019 Sep 14;43(10):320.
    PMID: 31522262 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-019-1445-8
    Blockchain in healthcare applications requires robust security and privacy mechanism for high-level authentication, interoperability and medical records sharing to comply with the strict legal requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Blockchain technology in the healthcare industry has received considerable research attention in recent years. This study conducts a review to substantially analyse and map the research landscape of current technologies, mainly the use of blockchain in healthcare applications, into a coherent taxonomy. The present study systematically searches all relevant research articles on blockchain in healthcare applications in three accessible databases, namely, ScienceDirect, IEEE and Web of Science, by using the defined keywords 'blockchain', 'healthcare' and 'electronic health records' and their variations. The final set of collected articles related to the use of blockchain in healthcare application is divided into three categories. The first category includes articles (i.e. 43/58 scientific articles) that attempted to develop and design healthcare applications integrating blockchain, particularly those on new architecture, system designs, framework, scheme, model, platform, approach, protocol and algorithm. The second category includes studies (i.e., 6/58 scientific articles) that attempted to evaluate and analyse the adoption of blockchain in the healthcare system. Finally, the third category comprises review and survey articles (i.e., 6/58 scientific articles) related to the integration of blockchain into healthcare applications. The final articles for review are discussed on the basis of five aspects: (1) year of publication, (2) nationality of authors, (3) publishing house or journal, (4) purpose of using blockchain in health applications and the corresponding contributions and (5) problem types and proposed solutions. Additionally, this study provides identified motivations, open challenges and recommendations on the use of blockchain in healthcare applications. The current research contributes to the literature by providing a detailed review of feasible alternatives and identifying the research gaps. Accordingly, researchers and developers are provided with appealing opportunities to further develop decentralised healthcare applications through a comprehensive discussion of about the importance of blockchain and its integration into various healthcare applications.
  11. Abas SA, Ismail N, Zakaria Y, Ismail I, Mat Zain NH, Yasin SM, et al.
    JMIR Serious Games, 2023 Mar 07;11:e43047.
    PMID: 36881449 DOI: 10.2196/43047
    BACKGROUND: The success rate of tuberculosis (TB) treatment in Malaysia remains below the recommended World Health Organization target of 90% despite the implementation of directly observed therapy, short-course, a physical drug monitoring system, since 1994. With increasing numbers of patients with TB in Malaysia defaulting on treatment, exploring another method to improve TB treatment adherence is vital. The use of gamification and real-time elements via video-observed therapies in mobile apps is one such method expected to induce motivation toward TB treatment adherence.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to document the process of designing, developing, and validating the gamification, motivation, and real-time elements in the Gamified Real-time Video Observed Therapies (GRVOTS) mobile app.

    METHODS: The modified nominal group technique via a panel of 11 experts was used to validate the presence of the gamification and motivation elements inside the app, which were assessed based on the percentage of agreement among the experts.

    RESULTS: The GRVOTS mobile app, which can be used by patients, supervisors, and administrators, was successfully developed. For validation purposes, the gamification and motivation features of the app were validated as they achieved a total mean percentage of agreement of 97.95% (SD 2.51%), which was significantly higher than the minimum agreement score of 70% (P

  12. Muzaini K, Yasin SM, Ismail Z, Ishak AR
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:646790.
    PMID: 33763402 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.646790
    Background: Sewage workers have a higher risk of exposure to various potential occupational respiratory hazards found in sewage plants. Although previous studies discuss occupational respiratory hazard concentration impacting sewage workers' respiratory health, the results are scarce and mixed. Hence, there is a need to identify the potential respiratory hazards in sewage plants so as to clarify the short- and long-term respiratory health effects. Therefore, this systematic review (SR) aims to critically review previous studies investigating potential respiratory hazards found at sewage plants and their effects on sewage workers' respiratory health. Methods: An SR was conducted using PubMed, EBSCO Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar on peer-reviewed studies published between January 1994 and October 2020 evaluating the impact of potential exposure to respiratory hazards and its effects on respiratory health among sewage workers. "Sewage treatment plant," "respiratory hazards," and "respiratory health effects" were the three main search terms chosen in this SR. The inclusion criteria were (1) studies on potential occupational respiratory hazard exposure among sewage workers, (2) manuscripts written in English, and (3) studies published in the peer-reviewed literature. The human observational studies' quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. Results: We identified 5,660 articles through an initial database search. Only 26 items met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review; 15 human observational studies and 11 environmental assessment studies were conducted in the sewage industries. Most of the human observational studies were rated as moderate quality, two studies were rated as weak quality, and one study with strong quality was identified. Hydrogen sulfide, bioaerosols, particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were found to be potential respiratory hazards. Most of the risks contributed to adverse outcomes on the sewage workers' respiratory health with some inconsistent findings on the relationship between respiratory hazard exposure and respiratory health effects. Conclusion: Our review finds that, although this area is of great importance, quality studies are still lacking. There is a need for additional studies to clarify the effects of respiratory hazard exposure on sewage workers and respiratory health, especially PM 2.5 and VOC.
  13. Awaluddin SM, Ismail N, Yasin SM, Zakaria Y, Mohamed Zainudin N, Kusnin F, et al.
    Front Public Health, 2020;8:577407.
    PMID: 33384977 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.577407
    Introduction: The trends of tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate among children in Malaysia plateaued at 90% from 2014 to 2017. Malaysia sets a higher treatment success target of 95% to be achieved in line with an affordable, accessible, and holistic approach in managing TB among children. Objective: This study aims to explore the parents' experiences and perspectives toward achieving treatment success among children who were diagnosed with TB in two districts in Selangor state, Malaysia. Methods: The study was conducted using phenomenology study design via an in-depth interview of 15 mothers who were purposively sampled from the list of pediatric TB cases in the MyTB version 2.1 database in Klang and Petaling Districts of Selangor state. The R-based qualitative data analysis package of R version 0.2-8 was used to perform the thematic analysis. Results: Two main themes were identified from this study. The first theme was trust toward the healthcare services with the subthemes of acceptance, self-efficacy, holistic care, and perceived benefits. The second theme was the motivation to take or continue medication. The subthemes were support from family, healthcare workers' (HCWs') support, the convenience of healthcare services, community support, personal strength, and child's character. Conclusion: TB treatment success for children can be achieved when parents develop trust in healthcare services and have strong motivational factors to remain steadfast in achieving a successful treatment goal. Psychosocial support should be provided to the primary caregiver who faced any difficulty, while good relationships between parents and HCWs should be maintained. These results will inform the TB program managers to strengthen the holistic approach and identify the motivational factors among parents of children with TB disease.
  14. Samsudin EZ, Yaacob SS, Xin Wee C, Mat Ruzlin AN, Azzani M, Jamil AT, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2023 Nov 15;13(11):e072801.
    PMID: 37967999 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072801
    BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying is a growing public health concern with clear, negative impacts on the mental, physical and social health of targeted victims. Previous research on cyberbullying has largely focused on examining its occurrence among children and adolescents. The present study aims to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in Selangor, Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.

    RESULTS: The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).

    CONCLUSIONS: As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.

  15. Awaluddin SM, Ismail N, Zakaria Y, Yasin SM, Razali A, Mutalip MHA, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2020 Dec 10;20(1):1903.
    PMID: 33302908 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-10005-y
    BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) among children remains a significant public health problem in many parts of the world. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of TB patients and to determine the predictors of treatment success among children in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Secondary data from MyTB version 2.1, a national database, were analysed using R version 3.6.1. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to identify treatment success and its determinants.

    RESULTS: In total, 3630 cases of TB cases were registered among children in Malaysia between 2013 and 2017. The overall treatment success rate was 87.1% in 2013 and plateaued between 90.1 and 91.4% from 2014 to 2017. TB treatment success was positively associated with being a Malaysian citizen (aOR = 3.43; 95% CI = 2.47, 4.75), being a child with BCG scars (aOR = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.39, 2.68), and being in the older age group (aOR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.03, 1.09). Having HIV co-infection (aOR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.16, 0.63), undergoing treatment in public hospitals (aOR = 0.38; 95% CI =0.25, 0.58), having chest X-ray findings of advanced lesion (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.33, 0.69), having EPTB (aOR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.41, 0.82) and having sputum-positive PTB (aOR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.43, 0.79) were negatively associated with TB treatment success among children.

    CONCLUSIONS: The overall success rate of treatment among children with TB in Malaysia has achieved the target of 90% since 2014 and remained plateaued until 2017. The socio-demographic characteristics of children, place of treatment, and TB disease profile were associated with the likelihood of TB treatment success among children. The treatment success rate can be increased by strengthening contact tracing activities and promoting early identification targeting the youngest children and non-Malaysian children.

  16. Abas SA, Ismail N, Zakaria Y, Yasin SM, Ibrahim K, Ismail I, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Jan 22;24(1):249.
    PMID: 38254065 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17561-z
    BACKGROUND: Finding innovative methods to enhance Tuberculosis treatment adherence in Malaysia is imperative, given the rising trend of non-adhere TB patients. Direct Observed Therapy (DOTS) has been used to ensure Tuberculosis (TB) drug compliance worldwide. However, due to its inconvenience, digitalizing this system into a virtual monitoring system via a mobile app can help deliver a more efficient tuberculosis management system. A gamified video-observed therapy is developed that connects three users the patient, supervisor, and administrator, allowing drug monitoring and patient loss to follow up with the patient tracking system. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine the impact of Gamified Real-time Video Observed Therapy (GRVOTS) mobile apps on patient medication adherence rates and motivation.

    METHODS: 71 patients from 18 facilities participated in the 8-week single-arm intervention study. GRVOTS mobile apps were installed in their mobile apps, and patients were expected to fulfill tasks such as providing Video Direct Observe Therapy (VDOTS) daily as well as side effect reporting. At 3-time intervals of baseline,1-month, and 2-month intervals, the number of VDOT taken, the Malaysian Medication Adherence Assessment Tool (MyMAAT), and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) questionnaire were collected. One-sample t-test was conducted comparing the VDOT video adherence to the standard rate of 80%. RM ANOVA was used to analyze any significant differences in MyMAAT and IMI scores across three-time intervals.

    RESULTS: This study involved 71 numbers of patients from 18 healthcare facilities who showed a significantly higher treatment adherence score of 90.87% than a standard score of 80% with a mean difference of 10.87(95% CI: 7.29,14.46; p 

  17. Baharuddin IH, Ismail N, Naing NN, Ibrahim K, Yasin SM, Patterson MS
    BMC Public Health, 2024 Mar 21;24(1):874.
    PMID: 38515056 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17614-3
    BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to fear, rumours, and stigma, particularly against those infected with the virus. In Malaysia, the manufacturing industry is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 clusters, making it critical to assess stigma attitudes among workers. To address this issue, The Workplace COVID-19 Knowledge & Stigma Scale (WoCKSS) was developed specifically for use in the manufacturing industry which served as the sample population for testing this scale. It was developed in the Malay language to ensure alignment with the local context. This study examines the content and face validity of WoCKSS, which can help assess the level of knowledge and stigma associated with COVID-19 among workers.

    METHODS: The WoCKSS was developed with 20 and 31 items for knowledge and stigma domains, respectively, based on an extensive review of COVID-19 literature. Content validation was conducted by four experts using a content validation form to assess the relevancy of each item to the intended construct. Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated to measure the agreement between the experts on the relevance of each item to the intended construct. Face validation was then conducted by randomly selecting 10 respondents from the manufacturing industry, who rated the clarity and comprehension of each item using a face validation form. The Item Face Validity Index (I-FVI) was calculated to determine the clarity and comprehension of each question, and only items with an I-FVI ≥ 0.83 were retained.

    RESULTS: The WoCKSS achieved excellent content validity in both knowledge and stigma domains. Only 19 items from the knowledge domain and 24 items from the stigma domain were retained after CVI analysis. All retained items received a CVI score of 1.00, indicating perfect agreement among the experts. FVI analysis resulted in 17 items for the knowledge domain and 22 items for the stigma domain. The knowledge domain achieved a high level of agreement among respondents, with a mean I-FVI of 0.91 and a S-FVI/UA of 0.89. The stigma domain also showed high agreement, with a mean I-FVI of 0.99 and a S-FVI/UA of 0.86.

    CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the WoCKSS demonstrated high content and face validity. However, further testing on a larger sample size is required to establish its construct validity and reliability.

  18. Samsudin EZ, Yasin SM, Ruslan NH, Abdullah NN, Noor AFA, Hair AFA
    BMC Infect Dis, 2024 Jan 16;24(1):93.
    PMID: 38229063 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-08993-y
    BACKGROUND: Recent pandemics have had far-reaching effects on the world's largest economies and amplified the need to estimate the full extent and range of socioeconomic impacts of infectious diseases outbreaks on multi-sectoral industries. This systematic review aims to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of airborne and droplet-borne infectious diseases outbreaks on industries.

    METHODS: A structured, systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IDEAS/REPEC, OSHLINE, HSELINE, and NIOSHTIC-2 were reviewed. Study quality appraisal was performed using the Table of Evidence Levels from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Joanna Briggs Institute tools, Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and Center of Evidence Based Management case study critical appraisal checklist. Quantitative analysis was not attempted due to the heterogeneity of included studies. A qualitative synthesis of primary studies examining socioeconomic impact of airborne and droplet-borne infectious diseases outbreaks in any industry was performed and a framework based on empirical findings was conceptualized.

    RESULTS: A total of 55 studies conducted from 1984 to 2021 were included, reporting on 46,813,038 participants working in multiple industries across the globe. The quality of articles were good. On the whole, direct socioeconomic impacts of Coronavirus Disease 2019, influenza, influenza A (H1N1), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, tuberculosis and norovirus outbreaks include increased morbidity, mortality, and health costs. This had then led to indirect impacts including social impacts such as employment crises and reduced workforce size as well as economic impacts such as demand shock, supply chain disruptions, increased supply and production cost, service and business disruptions, and financial and Gross Domestic Product loss, attributable to productivity losses from illnesses as well as national policy responses to contain the diseases.

    CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that airborne and droplet-borne infectious diseases have inflicted severe socioeconomic costs on regional and global industries. Further research is needed to better understand their long-term socioeconomic impacts to support improved industry preparedness and response capacity for outbreaks. Public and private stakeholders at local, national, and international levels must join forces to ensure informed systems and sector-specific cost-sharing strategies for optimal global health and economic security.

  19. Yasin SM, Retneswari M, Moy FM, Taib KM, Isahak M, Koh D
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2013;14(4):2317-23.
    PMID: 23725134
    The role of The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) in predicting relapse is limited. We aimed to assess whether this model can be utilised to predict relapse during the action stage. The participants included 120 smokers who had abstained from smoking for at least 24 hours following two Malaysian universities' smoking cessation programme. The smokers who relapsed perceived significantly greater advantages related to smoking and increasing doubt in their ability to quit. In contrast, former smokers with greater self-liberation and determination to abstain were less likely to relapse. The findings suggest that TTM can be used to predict relapse among quitting smokers.
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