Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 27 in total

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  1. Serological Prevalence of Leptospirosis Among Rural Communities in the Rejang Basin, Sarawak, Malaysia
    Suut L, Mazlan MN, Arif MT, Yusoff H, Abdul Rahim NA, Safii R, et al.
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2016 07;28(5):450-7.
    PMID: 27183976 DOI: 10.1177/1010539516648003
    Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease globally and is endemic in Malaysia. A study was conducted in the Rejang basin of Sarawak from June 2011 to May 2013 to determine the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among the communities and dominant infecting Leptospira serovars. A total of 508 human sera were analyzed using ELISA and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The seroprevalence of leptospirosis in the study area was 37.4%, with the highest prevalence in Kapit division. More women were positive for leptospirosis (59.5%), and the mean age of seropositive individuals was 42.2 (SD = 18.7) years. Antibody titers between 1:50 and 1:1600 were reported, and serovars djasiman (22.1%), shermani (13.2%), and pomona (7.9%) predominated, with varied distribution between geographical locations. This study highlighted the endemicity and diversity of existing Leptospira serovars within the community. This information should be communicated to local health personnel and communities at risk, and rapid diagnostic capability should be made available to local health facilities.
  2. Fulltext Why so stressed? A comparative study on stressors and stress between hospital and non-hospital nurses
    Muhamad Robat R, Mohd Fauzi MF, Mat Saruan NA, Mohd Yusoff H, Harith AA
    BMC Nurs, 2021 Jan 04;20(1):2.
    PMID: 33390159 DOI: 10.1186/s12912-020-00511-0
    BACKGROUND: Stress, which can be attributed to household and workplace stressors, is prevalent among nurses. However, these stressors' attribution may differ between hospital and non-hospital nurses. It is currently unknown whether there are significant differences in the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics between hospital and non-hospital nurses which may potentially influence the type and magnitude of stressors, and subsequently the stress status. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of stress and compare the roles of sociodemograhic characteristics, occupational profiles, workplace stressors and household stressors in determining the stress status between hospital and non-hospital female nurses in Malaysia.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly-selected 715 female nurses in Malaysia using pencil-and-paper self-reported questionnaires.

    RESULTS: The majority of participants were ever married (87.0%), having children (76.2%), and work in hospital setting (64.8%). The level of household stressors was generally similar between hospital and non-hospital nurses. However, hospital nurses significantly perceived higher level of workplace stressors. Shift work is significantly associated with higher level of household and workplace stressors among nurses in both groups. The level of stress was significantly higher among hospital nurses. Both household and workplace stressors explained about 40% of stress status in both hospital and non-hospital nurses.

    CONCLUSION: Hospital nurses are at higher risk of having stressors and stress as compared to non-hospital nurses, probably due to higher proportion of them involved in shift work. Hospital nurses should be given high priority in mitigating stress among nurses.

  3. Fulltext Fatigue and recovery among Malaysian doctors: the role of work-related activities during non-work time
    Mohd Fauzi MF, Mohd Yusoff H, Mat Saruan NA, Muhamad Robat R, Abdul Manaf MR, Ghazali M
    BMJ Open, 2020 09 25;10(9):e036849.
    PMID: 32978189 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-036849
    OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to estimate the level of acute fatigue, chronic fatigue and intershift recovery among doctors working at public hospitals in Malaysia and determine their inter-relationship and their association with work-related activities during non-work time.

    DESIGN: Cross-sectional.

    SETTING: Seven core clinical disciplines from seven tertiary public hospitals in Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: Study was conducted among 330 randomly-sampled doctors. Response rate was 80.61% (n=266).

    RESULTS: The mean score of acute fatigue, chronic fatigue and intershift recovery were 68.51 (SD=16.549), 54.60 (SD=21.259) and 37.29 (SD=19.540), respectively. All these scores were out of 100 points each. Acute and chronic fatigue were correlated (r=0.663), and both were negatively correlated with intershift recovery (r=-0.704 and r=-0.670, respectively). Among the work-related activities done during non-work time, work-related ruminations dominated both the more frequent activities and the association with poorer fatigue and recovery outcomes. Rumination on being scolded/violated was found to be positively associated with both acute fatigue (adjusted regression coefficient (Adj.b)=2.190, 95% CI=1.139 to 3.240) and chronic fatigue (Adj.b=5.089, 95% CI=3.876 to 6.303), and negatively associated with recovery (Adj.b=-3.316, 95% CI=-4.516 to -2.117). Doing work task at workplace or attending extra work-related activities such as locum and attending training were found to have negative associations with fatigue and positive associations with recovery. Nevertheless, doing work-related activities at home was positively associated with acute fatigue. In terms of communication, it was found that face-to-face conversation with partner did associate with higher recovery but virtual conversation with partner associated with higher acute fatigue and lower recovery.

    CONCLUSIONS: Work-related ruminations during non-work time were common and associated with poor fatigue and recovery outcomes while overt work activities done at workplace during non-work time were associated with better fatigue and recovery levels. There is a need for future studies with design that allow causal inference to address these relationships.

  4. Fulltext A Review on Safety Practices for Firefighters During Photovoltaic (PV) Fire
    Ramali MR, Mohd Nizam Ong NAF, Md Said MS, Mohamed Yusoff H, Baharudin MR, Tharima AF, et al.
    Fire Technol, 2023;59(1):247-270.
    PMID: 35637789 DOI: 10.1007/s10694-022-01269-4
    In recent years, it is evident that there is a surge in photovoltaic (PV) systems installations on buildings. It is concerning that PV system related fire incidents have been reported throughout the years. Like any other electrical power system, PV systems pose fire and electrical hazards when at fault. As a consequence, PV fires compromised the safety of emergency responders. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the elements of firefighters' safety practices and subsequently collate the best safety practices for local fire rescue and firefighters in the event of PV fires. Out of 264 documents, only 20 publications were identified as 'closely related' and were systematically reviewed to evaluate firefighter safety practices from a scholarly perspective. Only 3% of the 20 publications reviewed, discussed the safety practices during PV fires. Thirteen safety practice key points were extracted from the reviewed documents, with nine critical findings highlighted as the hallmark of safety practices during PV fire for firefighters. The lack of academic journals discussing the fire safety aspects proves that there is a low interest in this field which is in dire need of further study and exploration to adhere with the PV population in ensuring a reliable emergency operation to minimize losses or injuries due to accidents.
  5. Fulltext Development and evaluation of a scale to measure nurses' unsafe driving behaviour while commuting
    Mohd Yusoff H, Ismail KI, Ismail R, Khamis NK, Muhamad Robat R, Bryce JM
    Heliyon, 2024 Jan 15;10(1):e23735.
    PMID: 38226263 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23735
    Driving is the most prevalent form of commuting for most workers but is also perhaps the most hazardous mode of travel with unsafe driving contributing significantly to road traffic accidents. Despite nurses having been reported as being at higher risk of commuter-related accidents over the last three decades, little is known about unsafe driving behaviours among nurses while commuting, which is unique from other driving routines. Additionally, the lack of appropriate tools to measure such behaviours is apparent. This study aims i) to identify unsafe driving behaviours among nurses while commuting and ii) to develop a scale to assess nurses' unsafe commuting driving behaviours. The study employed a multiphase and multimethod approach to develop the scale, which was subject to stringent validation and evaluation. Themes were specified via the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). Six themes were identified namely: i) violations and reckless driving, ii) negative emotions, iii) drowsy driving iv) mind wandering, v) error and vi) carelessness. Content and face validity were sought through expert review. A total of 442 nurses' data were collected across multisite hospitals for evaluation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) resulted in recovered structure and was confirmed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with structural equation analyses being conducted to test predictive validity. All constructs met adequate validity and reliability. Nurses' unsafe driving behaviours while commuting were identified with a novel scale to assess them being both developed and validated. The resulting MyUDWC scale is a suitable tool for measuring nurses' unsafe driving behaviours while commuting.
  6. Fulltext Prevalence and determinants of pre-hypertension among undergraduate preclinical medical students in central Malaysia.
    Mohd Yusoff H, Mohd Tamil A, Mohd Fauzi MF, Mat Saruan NA
    IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia, 2019;18(3):65-72.
    MyJurnal
    Pre-hypertension, a classification of blood pressure ranging from 120–139 mm Hg systolic and/or 80–89 mm Hg diastolic, has been introduced to identify those high-risk group of developing hypertension to implement early intervention to halt disease progression. This study determines the prevalence of pre-hypertension and its determinants among undergraduate preclinical medical students in Malaysia.
    Materials & Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 158 registered second year medical students at one research university in central Malaysia from January to April 2018.
    Results: The prevalence of pre-hypertension was 20.6% among undergraduate preclinical medical students. The most respondent was female (69.9%), Malay ethnic (50.6%) who had normal body mass index (67.3%), no depression (79.5%), no anxiety (60.3%), no stress (68.6%), low physical activity level (44.9%), never smoked (95.5%), and never consumed alcohol (87.8%). Some respondents had positive family history of hypertension (43.6%) and diabetes mellitus (31.4%). After adjusted for all variables, gender (AOR=14.45, 95% CI 5.58-37.43) and depression status (AOR=6.37, 95% CI 1.29-31.49) were significantly associated with pre-hypertension.
    Conclusion: The prevalence of pre-hypertension among preclinical medical students was lower compared to other country, predicted by gender and depression status. However, further comprehensive multicentered studies in Malaysia with larger sample size is recommended to get more precise results in identifying determinants for pre-hypertension so that early intervention could be implemented nationwide.
  7. Fulltext Doctors' Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences
    Mohd Fauzi MF, Mohd Yusoff H, Muhamad Robat R, Mat Saruan NA, Ismail KI, Mohd Haris AF
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 10 08;17(19).
    PMID: 33050004 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197340
    The COVID-19 pandemic potentially increases doctors' work demands and limits their recovery opportunity; this consequently puts them at a high risk of adverse mental health impacts. This study aims to estimate the level of doctors' fatigue, recovery, depression, anxiety, and stress, and exploring their association with work demands and recovery experiences. This was a cross-sectional study among all medical doctors working at all government health facilities in Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected in May 2020 immediately following the COVID-19 contagion peak in Malaysia by using self-reported questionnaires through an online medium. The total participants were 1050 doctors. The majority of participants were non-resident non-specialist medical officers (55.7%) and work in the hospital setting (76.3%). The highest magnitude of work demands was mental demand (M = 7.54, SD = 1.998) while the lowest magnitude of recovery experiences was detachment (M = 9.22, SD = 5.043). Participants reported a higher acute fatigue level (M = 63.33, SD = 19.025) than chronic fatigue (M = 49.37, SD = 24.473) and intershift recovery (M = 49.97, SD = 19.480). The majority of them had no depression (69.0%), no anxiety (70.3%), and no stress (76.5%). Higher work demands and lower recovery experiences were generally associated with adverse mental health. For instance, emotional demands were positively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = 2.73), chronic fatigue (adj. b = 3.64), depression (adj. b = 0.57), anxiety (adj. b = 0.47), and stress (adj. b = 0.64), while relaxation experiences were negatively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = -0.53), chronic fatigue (adj. b = -0.53), depression (adj. b = -0.14), anxiety (adj. b = -0.11), and stress (adj. b = -0.15). However, higher detachment experience was associated with multiple mental health parameters in the opposite of the expected direction such as higher level of chronic fatigue (adj. b = 0.74), depression (adj. b = 0.15), anxiety (adj. b = 0.11), and stress (adj. b = 0.11), and lower level of intershift recovery (adj. b = -0.21). In conclusion, work demands generally worsen, while recovery experiences protect mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic with the caveat of the role of detachment experiences.
  8. Fulltext The Impacts of Illegal Toxic Waste Dumping on Children's Health: A Review and Case Study from Pasir Gudang, Malaysia
    Ibrahim MF, Hod R, Toha HR, Mohammed Nawi A, Idris IB, Mohd Yusoff H, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 02 24;18(5).
    PMID: 33668186 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052221
    Poor management of hazardous waste can lead to environmental pollution, injuries, and adverse health risks. Children's exposure to hazardous waste may cause serious acute and chronic health problems due to their higher vulnerability to the toxic effects of chemicals. This study examines an incident of illegal chemical dumping in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia and its potential health impacts on children. The study introduced a risk assessment of possible health-related effects due to chemical contamination based on a real case scenario where quantification of the contamination was not feasible. A literature review and spatial analysis were used as research methods. On 6th March 2019, tons of hazardous waste were illegally disposed into Kim Kim River, Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. They were identified as benzene, acrolein, acrylonitrile, hydrogen chloride, methane, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and d-limonene. As a result, 975 students in the vicinity developed signs and symptoms of respiratory disease due to the chemical poisoning. The findings of this study indicate that more effective policies and preventive actions are urgently needed to protect human health, especially children from improper hazardous waste management.
  9. Fulltext Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life amongst Employees in a Malaysian Public University
    Abdul Manaf MR, Mohammed Nawi A, Mohd Tauhid N, Othman H, Abdul Rahman MR, Mohd Yusoff H, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 10 17;18(20).
    PMID: 34682645 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010903
    The current academic landscape has overwhelmed faculties and with demands to adopt tech-savvy teaching modes and accelerate scholarly works, administrative duties, and outreach programs. Such demands have deteriorated the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among university employees. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with HRQoL among university employees in a Malaysian public university. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 397 employees from the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between April and June 2019. A self-administered questionnaire that consisted of socio-demographic items, risky health behaviors, health-related information, and validated scales for measuring employees' physical inactivity, psychological states, and HRQoL was utilized. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS version 23.0. Hierarchical multiple linear regression models were yielded to determine the factors associated with different domains of HRQoL. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO (Model 4). Statistical significance was set to p < 0.05. Physical HRQoL scored the highest, while environmental HRQoL had the lowest score among the employees. Physical HRQoL was influenced by age, service duration, comorbid conditions, BMI, chronic diseases, and anxiety. Factors associated with psychological HRQoL were age, service duration, depression, and stress. Age, service duration, and chronic diseases affected employees' social relationship HRQoL, while environmental HRQoL was associated with age, occupation type, chronic diseases, and depression. Socio-demographics, risky health behaviors, health profiles, and psychological attributes were significantly associated with employees' HRQoL. Age was the only positively correlated factor across all HRQoL domains, while other factors deteriorated employees' HRQoL.
  10. Fulltext Medical Experts' Agreement on Risk Assessment Based on All Possible Combinations of the COVID-19 Predictors-A Novel Approach for Public Health Screening and Surveillance
    Ibrahim MS, Naing NN, Abd Aziz A, Makhtar M, Mohamed Yusoff H, Esa NK, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Dec 10;19(24).
    PMID: 36554487 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416601
    During the initial phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a critical need to create a valid and reliable screening and surveillance for university staff and students. Consequently, 11 medical experts participated in this cross-sectional study to judge three risk categories of either low, medium, or high, for all 1536 possible combinations of 11 key COVID-19 predictors. The independent experts' judgement on each combination was recorded via a novel dashboard-based rating method which presented combinations of these predictors in a dynamic display within Microsoft Excel. The validated instrument also incorporated an innovative algorithm-derived deduction for efficient rating tasks. The results of the study revealed an ordinal-weighted agreement coefficient of 0.81 (0.79 to 0.82, p-value < 0.001) that reached a substantial class of inferential benchmarking. Meanwhile, on average, the novel algorithm eliminated 76.0% of rating tasks by deducing risk categories based on experts' ratings for prior combinations. As a result, this study reported a valid, complete, practical, and efficient method for COVID-19 health screening via a reliable combinatorial-based experts' judgement. The new method to risk assessment may also prove applicable for wider fields of practice whenever a high-stakes decision-making relies on experts' agreement on combinations of important criteria.
  11. Fulltext Unplanned Absenteeism: The Role of Workplace and Non-Workplace Stressors
    Mat Saruan NA, Mohd Yusoff H, Mohd Fauzi MF, Wan Puteh SE, Muhamad Robat R
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 08 24;17(17).
    PMID: 32846878 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176132
    Unplanned absenteeism (UA), which includes medically certified leave (MC) or emergency leave (EL), among nurses may disturb the work performance of their team and disrupt the quality of patient care. Currently, there is limited study in Malaysia that examines the role of stressors in determining absenteeism among nurses. Therefore, apart from estimating the prevalence and the reasons of UA among nurses in Malaysia, this study aims to determine its stressor-related determinants. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 697 randomly sampled nurses working in Selangor, Malaysia. Most of them were female (97.3%), married (83.4%), and working in shifts (64.4%) in hospital settings (64.3%). In the past year, the prevalence of ever taking MC and EL were 49.1% and 48.4%, respectively. The mean frequency of MC and EL were 1.80 (SD = 1.593) and 1.92 (SD = 1.272) times, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean duration of MC and EL were 4.24 (SD = 10.355) and 2.39 (SD = 1.966) days, respectively. The most common reason for MC and EL was unspecified fever (39.2%) and child sickness (51.9%), respectively. The stressor-related determinants of durations of MC were inadequate preparation at the workplace (Adj.b = -1.065) and conflict with doctors (adjusted regression coefficient (Adj.b) = 0.491). On the other hand, the stressor-related determinants of durations of EL were conflict with spouse (Adj.b = 0.536), sexual conflict (Adj.b = -0.435), no babysitter (Adj.b = 0.440), inadequate preparation at workplace (Adj.b = 0.257), lack of staff support (Adj.b = -0.190) and conflict with doctors (Adj.b = -0.112). The stressor-related determinants of the frequency of MC were conflicts over household tasks (Adj.b = -0.261), no time with family (Adj.b = 0.257), dangerous surroundings (Adj.b = 0.734), conflict with close friends (Adj.b = -0.467), and death and dying (Adj.b = 0.051). In contrast, the stressor-related determinants of frequency of EL were not enough money (Adj.b = -0.334), conflicts with spouse (Adj.b = 0.383), pressure from relatives (Adj.b = 0.207), and inadequate preparation (Adj.b = 0.090). In conclusion, apart from the considerably high prevalence of unplanned absenteeism and its varying frequency, duration and reasons, there is no clear distinction in the role between workplace and non-workplace stressors in determining MC or EL among nurses in Malaysia; thus, preventive measures that target both type of stressors are warranted. Future studies should consider longitudinal design and mixed-method approaches using a comprehensive model of absenteeism.
  12. Fulltext An Online Survey of the Perceptions of Clinical and Non-Clinical Professionals on Healthcare for Non-Communicable Diseases and COVID-19 Measures During the Pandemic in Malaysia
    Sureshkumar S, Mustapha F, Yusoff H, Mwangi KJ, Marcus K, Kohlbrenner B, et al.
    Int J Public Health, 2023;68:1605861.
    PMID: 37304500 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605861
    Objectives: This study assesses the opinions of health professionals in Malaysia on the disruption of non-communicable disease (NCD) services during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to January 2022. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with 191 non-clinical public health workers and clinical health service workers in Malaysia from November 2021 to January 2022. Participants were recruited by the Malaysian Ministry of Health using major networks including key experts and practitioners. Secondary respondents were subsequently enrolled through snowballing. Results: The most notable issues raised by the survey participants relate to NCD service disruption, the redirection of NCD care resources, and NCD care being overburdened post-pandemic. Respondents also reported accounts of resilience and prompt reaction from the healthcare system, as well as calls for innovation. Conclusion: Most respondents perceived that the challenges arising from COVID-19 were mostly managed well by the healthcare system, which was able to provide the necessary services to NCD patients during this health emergency. However, the study identifies gaps in the health system response and preparedness capacity, and highlights solutions for strengthening NCD services.
  13. Nutrient Intakes Status and Physical Inactivity among Overweight and Obese School Children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Wan Dali WPE, Jan Mohamed HJ, Yusoff H
    Iran J Public Health, 2018 Aug;47(8):1098-1107.
    PMID: 30186781
    Background: The study examined the baseline findings of a controlled intervention study comprising anthropometric measurements, nutrient intakes, and physical activity among overweight or obese children in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

    Methods: The study was completed in 2016 and the baseline data were gathered from four groups in a school-based randomized community trial among Year Five students from primary schools in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Participants completed anthropometry assessment, three-day dietary record, and Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C).

    Results: The prevalence of obesity was higher among the boys (52.5%). Mean energy intake was significantly higher among boys as compared to the girls (P=0.003). Twenty-five percent of the participants had exceeded the recommended nutrient intakes (RNI) of energy recommended. The calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin were also significantly higher among boys as compared to the girls (P<0.05). Boys also exhibited a significantly higher score on performance of physical activity (mean=2.68; SD=0.60) as compared to the girls (mean=2.38; SD=0.51) however it is still in the category of moderately active. Approximately 14.4% of children had a very low physical activity level.

    Conclusion: Overweight and obese boys had higher energy and fat intakes but were more physically active as compared to the girls. These findings might be useful in planning appropriate intervention strategies to be designed and delivered especially for this cohort.

  14. Effectiveness of Nutrition Education vs. Non-Nutrition Education Intervention in Improving Awareness Pertaining Iron Deficiency among Anemic Adolescents
    Yusoff H, Wan Daud WN, Ahmad Z
    Iran J Public Health, 2013;42(5):467-71.
    PMID: 23802103
    This study was carried out to compare the effect between nutrition education intervention and non-nutrition education intervention on awareness regarding iron deficiency among schooling adolescents in Tanah Merah, one of rural district in Kelantan, Malaysia.
  15. Validation of Occupational Zoonotic Disease Questionnaire Using Fuzzy Delphi Method
    Sulaiman HF, Ismail R, Mohd Yusoff H, Anuar N, Mohd Jamil MR, Daud F
    J Agromedicine, 2020 04;25(2):166-172.
    PMID: 31533524 DOI: 10.1080/1059924X.2019.1666763
    Objective: The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is one of the phases in Design and Development Research (DDR). It is a systematic method for tool development and validation. This article aims to validate an occupational zoonotic disease questionnaire using this technique. DDR is applied going through phase 1 (needs analysis), phase 2 (development and design), and phase 3 (usability).Method: In phase 1, information about safe work practices and occupational zoonotic exposure was obtained from discussions to verify predetermined domains as stated in The National Park Service survey on zoonotic disease exposure and risk. In phase 2, agreement from 14 experts about the domains was obtained using the FDM. In phase 3, a cognitive debriefing was performed to determine its usability for future studies. A total of five superior domains were verified, and their items were adapted. All domains and their items were submitted to experts to obtain consensus agreement.Results: A total of 31 (96.9%) passed the Triangle of Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process with acceptable consensus agreement (78.8-91.9%) and threshold d value (0.07-0.14). Only four veterinarians were needed for cognitive debriefing to achieve the point of saturation.Conclusion: FDM in DDR is suitable to be applied by various professions for tool validation, as it is doable and cost and time effective. The Occupational Zoonotic Disease Questionnaire is now ready to be used for future studies in Malaysia.
  16. Fulltext Non-adherence to recommended Pap smear screening guidelines and its associated factors among women attending health clinic in Malaysia
    Yunus NA, Mohamed Yusoff H, Draman N
    Malays Fam Physician, 2018;13(1):10-17.
    PMID: 29796205 MyJurnal
    Introduction: Cervical cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer among women in Malaysia. Although a cervical screening program has been introduced since 1960s and is provided free of charge in all government health facilities, the coverage and adherence rate to recommendation among Malaysian women remains low.

    Objectives: To determine the proportion of non-adherence to Pap smear screening guidelines and its associated factors among women attending a health clinic in Malaysia.

    Method: A cross sectional study involving 316 women aged 20 to 65 years who had undergone a Pap smear. Universal sampling method was applied to select participants among women who attended the selected health clinic from January 2013 to May 2013. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic characteristics, socio-health data and perceptions about cervical cancer and Pap smear screening. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression.

    Result: The proportion of non-adherence to Pap smear screening was 90.5%. Age, marital status, duration of marriage, education level, employment, household income and number of children were not significantly associated with non-adherence. Perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit, perceived barrier and cues to action did not show significant association with non-adherence to Pap smear screening.

    Conclusion: Non-adherence to Pap smear screening was high among Malaysian women. Measures should be taken to increase Pap smear screening coverage in our country. Other factors beyond Health Belief Model that influence Pap smear screening practice among Malaysian women should be explored.
  17. In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility of Neoscytalidium dimidiatum Clinical Isolates from Malaysia
    James JE, Santhanam J, Lee MC, Wong CX, Sabaratnam P, Yusoff H, et al.
    Mycopathologia, 2017 Apr;182(3-4):305-313.
    PMID: 27815659 DOI: 10.1007/s11046-016-0085-5
    Neoscytalidium dimidiatum is an opportunistic fungus causing cutaneous infections mostly, which are difficult to treat due to antifungal resistance. In Malaysia, N. dimidiatum is associated with skin and nail infections, especially in the elderly. These infections may be mistaken for dermatophyte infections due to similar clinical appearance. In this study, Neoscytalidium isolates from cutaneous specimens, identified using morphological and molecular methods (28 Neoscytalidium dimidiatum and 1 Neoscytalidium sp.), were evaluated for susceptibility towards antifungal agents using the CLSI broth microdilution (M38-A2) and Etest methods. Amphotericin B, voriconazole, miconazole and clotrimazole showed high in vitro activity against all isolates with MIC ranging from 0.0313 to 1 µg/mL. Susceptibility towards fluconazole and itraconazole was noted in up to 10% of isolates, while ketoconazole was inactive against all isolates. Clinical breakpoints for antifungal drugs are not yet available for most filamentous fungi, including Neoscytalidium species. However, the results indicate that clinical isolates of N. dimidiatum in Malaysia were sensitive towards miconazole, clotrimazole, voriconazole and amphotericin B, in vitro.
  18. Fulltext Flapping membrane wing: a prediction towards inter-domain flight
    Abas, M.F., Aftab, S.M.A., Rafie, A.S.M., Ahmad, K.A., Yusoff, H.
    Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2016;24(2):439-449.
    MyJurnal
    The purpose of this research is to gain initial knowledge and to predict the sustainability of an all-weather
    Micro-Aerial-Vehicle (MAV). The observed parameters are: the maximum coefficient of lift, CL and the
    changes in CL after impact, the fluctuation of CL upon entering simulated rain environment, and length of
    stability recovery in terms of time and flapping cycle, t and t/T, at flapping frequencies of 8, 16, and 24
    Hz, at t/T = 3/8 and 7/8. At 24 Hz, the increase in peak CL value after impact of entering rain environment
    is 0.59. The average fluctuations in CL occurred when entering the rain environment are 410.263. The
    stability recovery time recorded is 0.006 seconds. Small birds (especially hummingbirds) have a very
    high flapping frequency that enables them to efficiently withstand external disturbances caused by nature
    and to instantly adapt to new environments.
  19. Fulltext Development and validation of Work-Related Activities during Non-Work Time Scale (WANTS) for doctors
    Mohd Fauzi MF, Mohd Yusoff H, Mat Saruan NA, Muhamad Robat R
    PLoS One, 2020;15(11):e0241577.
    PMID: 33206663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241577
    Work-related activities during non-work time may influence the intershift recovery of post-work fatigue. Currently there is no valid and reliable scale available to measure the frequency for such activities among doctors. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate 'Work-Related Activities during Non-Work Time Scale' (WANTS) that measure the frequency of work-related activities during non-work time for doctors. This was a scale development and validation study among doctors involving item generation, content and construct validation, and reliability assessment. 23-item seven-point Likert-type scale was developed through deductive (literature search) and inductive (interview with source population, authors' experiences, and expert opinion) methods. The content-validated scale was pre-tested, and the improved scale was subsequently administered to randomly-selected 460 doctors working at public hospital setting. Response rate was 77.76% (n = 382). Initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring (PAF) using varimax rotation revealed unstable six-factor structure consisting of 17 variables; thus, we tested one- to six-factor model, and found that four-factor model is the most stable. Further analysis with principal component analysis (PCA) with a single component on each factor found that 17-variables four-factor model is stable. These factors were labelled as 'work-related thought', 'work-to-home conversation', 'task spillover' and 'superior-subordinate communication'. It showed good internal consistency with overall alpha value of 0.837. The scale is thus valid and reliable for measuring the frequency of each construct of work-related activities during non-work time among doctors.
  20. Fulltext Individual evaluation of fatigue at work to enhance the safety performance in the construction industry: A systematic review
    Heng PP, Mohd Yusoff H, Hod R
    PLoS One, 2024;19(2):e0287892.
    PMID: 38324557 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287892
    The construction industry is recognized as one of the most hazardous industries globally due to the dynamic on site activities and labour-intensive characteristics. The construction tasks are physically and cognitively demanding therefore the construction workers are prone to work fatigue which compromises safety performance. The evaluation of fit for duty, or fitness for work (FFW) aims to determine if workers are at risk of adverse impacts of ill-health, injury or accidents. This systematic review aimed to critically summarize up-to-date measures and evaluation tools that were employed to monitor work fitness or fatigue specifically among construction workers. Adhering with the PRISMA protocol, three databases were searched from the inception to 2022, with a total combination of 37 keywords, concluding to the selection of 20 relevant articles. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used as the guide for the study appraisal. A total of 20 articles were reviewed, published from 2008-2022. Majority of the studies employed experimental design. The review identified the subjective evaluation scales and objective measurement tool. The subjective self-response questionnaires can be categorized into single dimension or multidimension covering both physical and mental fitness; whereas the objective measurement tool can be categorized into physiological metrics, physical and cognitive performance measure. The available scientific evidence has raised the relevant issues for on-site practicality and potentially guide the formulation of evidence-based guidelines for the FFW assessment in the construction industry.
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