Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 39 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Mohammad MS, Aburezq M, AlSaeed N, Abdullah Z, Fayrouz S, Almunefi K, et al.
    Prev Med, 2024 Apr 02;182:107945.
    PMID: 38574972 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107945
    OBJECTIVES: Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) use and Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking (WTS) are reported to be a growing strain of tobacco epidemic among youth in the Arab world. Therefore, we aimed to: (1) estimate the regional prevalence of ENDS use among youth in 7 Arab countries and, (2) to explore the bidirectional relationship between ENDS use and WTS among Arab adolescents.

    METHODS: We analyzed data from the World Health Organization Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS 2014-2018) of 18,536 schoolchildren aged 12-16 from Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and Yemen. The weighted prevalence was calculated to generate nationally representative estimates. Adjusted multilevel logistic regression models were conducted to assess the association between ENDS use and WTS.

    RESULTS: The pooled weighted prevalence of ENDS use was 9.5%. Higher odds of ENDS use were significantly associated with WTS (AOR: 5.26, 95%CI: 4.28-6.46), smoking conventional cigarettes (AOR: 1.54, 95%CI: 1.23-1.94) and first tobacco use prior to the age of 12 (AOR: 1.40, 95%CI: 1.14-1.72). Females and children who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco had less odds of using ENDS.

    CONCLUSION: WTS was associated with increased odds of ENDS use by >5 folds, and vice versa. Tobacco consumption at age younger than 12 years was associated with higher odds of ENDS use, but less odds of WTS. Females and those who were taught in school the dangers of tobacco were less likely to report ENDS use.

  2. Garegnani L, Franco JVA, Escobar Liquitay CM, Brant LCC, Lim HM, de Jesus Jessen NP, et al.
    Prev Med, 2023 Jul;172:107534.
    PMID: 37146731 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2023.107534
    BACKGROUND: In 2010 the American Heart Association defined the concept of ideal cardiovascular health to renew the focus on primordial prevention for cardiovascular disease. Evidence primarily from high-income countries suggests ideal CVH prevalence is low and decreases with age, with vulnerable populations differentially affected. We aimed to identify and characterize the evidence relevant to CVH metrics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

    METHODS: We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute guideline for the conduct of this scoping review. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS and study registers from inception to 14 March 2022. We included cross-sectional and cohort studies in populations representing a geographically-defined unit (urban or rural) in LMICs, and with data on CVH metrics i.e. all health or clinical factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, glycemia and body mass index) and at least one health behavior (smoking, diet or physical activity). We report findings following the PRISMA-Scr extension for scoping reviews.

    RESULTS: We included 251 studies; 85% were cross-sectional. Most studies (70.9%) came from just ten countries. Only 6.8% included children younger than 12 years old. Only 34.7% reported seven metrics; 25.1%, six. Health behaviors were mostly self-reported; 45.0% of studies assessed diet, 58.6% physical activity, and 90.0% smoking status.

    CONCLUSIONS: We identified a substantial and heterogeneous body of research presenting CVH metrics in LMICs. Few studies assessed all components of CVH, especially in children and in low-income settings. This review will facilitate the design of future studies to bridge the evidence gap. This scoping review protocol was previously registered on OSF: https://osf.io/sajnh.

  3. Johar H, Schaefer A, Su TT
    Prev Med, 2023 Feb;167:107390.
    PMID: 36528114 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107390
    The potential role of psychological distress as the pathway linking diabetes and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is still unclear. This study aims to investigate whether depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between diabetes and SCD in older adults. Baseline data from 3428 adults (55-94 years) of the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Malaysia were utilized. Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) were recorded at baseline and five years later. Mediation analyses with non-parametric bootstrapping methods were employed. A proportion of 20% of participants without SCC at baseline reported a decline in SCC after 5 years of follow-up. Known diabetes (β = -0.13, SE = 0.05, p = 0.02) and depressive symptoms (ß = -0.18, SE = 0.05, p = 0.001) were independently associated with SCD. Previously diagnosed diabetes was associated with depressive symptoms at baseline (ß = 0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.01), and greater SCD at follow-up (β = -0.19, SE = 0.06, p = 0.001). Mediation analyses revealed that 9% of the association between diabetes and SCD was attributable to an indirect effect through depressive symptoms (ß = -0.01, 95% CI 0.02-0.001, p 
  4. Woo YL, Gravitt P, Khor SK, Ng CW, Saville M
    Prev Med, 2021 03;144:106294.
    PMID: 33678225 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106294
    Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer in women, with 85% of deaths occurring in LMICs. Despite the existence of effective vaccine and screening tools, efforts to reduce the burden of cervical cancer must be considered in the context of the social structures within the health systems of LMICs. Compounding this existing challenge is the global COVID-19 pandemic, declared in March 2020. While it is too soon to tell how health systems priorities will change as a result of COVID-19 and its impact on the cervical cancer elimination agenda, there are opportunities to strengthen cervical screening by leveraging on several trends. Many LMICs maximized the strengths of their long established community-based primary care and public health systems with expansion of surveillance systems which incorporated mobile technologies. LMICs can harness the momentum of the measures taken against COVID-19 to consolidate the efforts against cervical cancer. Self-sampling, molecular human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and digital health will shift health systems towards stronger public health and primary care networks and away from expensive hospital-based care investments. While COVID-19 will change health systems priorities in LMICs in ways that may de-prioritize cervical cancer screening, there are significant opportunities for integration into longer-term trends towards universal health coverage, self-care and digital health.
  5. Gravitt PE, Silver MI, Hussey HM, Arrossi S, Huchko M, Jeronimo J, et al.
    Prev Med, 2021 03;144:106322.
    PMID: 33678230 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106322
    The World Health Organization (WHO) is leading a call to action to eliminate cervical cancer by the end of the century through global implementation of two effective evidence-based preventive interventions: HPV vaccination and cervical screening and management (CSM). Models estimate that without intervention, over the next 50 years 12.2 million new cases of cervical cancer will occur, nearly 60% of which are preventable only through CSM. Given that more than 80% of the cervical cancer occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), scaling up sustainable CSM programs in these countries is a top priority for achieving the global elimination goals. Multiple technologies have been developed and validated to meet this need. Now it is critical to identify strategies to implement these technologies into complex, adaptive health care delivery systems. As part of the coordinated cervical cancer elimination effort, we applied a systems thinking lens to reflect on our experiences with implementation of HPV-based CSM programs using the WHO health systems framework. While many common health system barriers were identified, the effectiveness of implementation strategies to address them was context dependent; often reflecting differences in stakeholder's belief in the quality of the evidence supporting a CSM algorithm, the appropriateness of the evidence and algorithm to context, and the 'implementability' of the algorithm under realistic assessments of resource availability and constraints. A structured planning process, with early and broad stakeholder engagement, will ensure that shared-decisions in CSM implementation are appropriately aligned with the culture, values, and resource realities of the setting.
  6. Fransen HP, Beulens JW, May AM, Struijk EA, Boer JM, de Wit GA, et al.
    Prev Med, 2015 Aug;77:119-24.
    PMID: 26007298 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.05.014
    Dietary patterns have been associated with the incidence or mortality of individual non-communicable diseases, but their association with disease burden has received little attention.
  7. Su TT, Sim PY, Nahar AM, Majid HA, Murray LJ, Cantwell MM, et al.
    Prev Med, 2014 Oct;67:100-5.
    PMID: 25016043 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.07.001
    BACKGROUND: Obesity and lack of physical activity are fast becoming a concern among Malaysian adolescents.

    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess physical activity levels among Malaysian adolescents and investigate the association between physical activity levels and body composition such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and percentage of body fat.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 1361 school-going 13 year old multi-ethnic adolescents from population representative samples in Malaysia were involved in our study. Self-reported physical activity levels were assessed using the validated Malay version of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). Height, weight, body fat composition and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Data collection period was from March to May 2012.

    RESULTS: 10.8% of the males and 7.4% of the females were obese according to the International Obesity Task Force standards. A majority of the adolescents (63.9%) were physically inactive. There is a weak but significant correlation between physical activity scores and the indicators of obesity. The adjusted coefficient for body fatness was relatively more closely correlated to physical activity scores followed by waist circumference and lastly BMI.

    CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that high physical activity scores were associated with the decreased precursor risk factors of obesity.

  8. Ng CJ, Teo CH, Ho CC, Tan WP, Tan HM
    Prev Med, 2014 Oct;67:295-302.
    PMID: 25117523 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.08.007
    This study aims to compare health status and its risk factors between men and women who are from countries of different income status in Asia.
  9. Reidpath DD, Davey TM, Kadirvelu A, Soyiri IN, Allotey P
    Prev Med, 2014 Feb;59:37-41.
    PMID: 24270054 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.11.011
    OBJECTIVES: Evidence that age of smoking initiation represents a risk factor for regular smoking in adolescence is complicated by inconsistencies in the operational definition of smoking initiation and simultaneous inclusion of age as an explanatory variable. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between age, age of smoking initiation and subsequent regular smoking.
    METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted of the U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2011. A sex stratified multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to model the likelihood of regular smoking with age and age of smoking initiation as explanatory variables and race/ethnicity as a covariate.
    RESULTS: After controlling for race/ethnicity, age and age of smoking initiation were independently associated with regular smoking in males and females. Independent of age, a one year's decrease in the age of smoking initiation was associated with a 1.27 times increase in odds of regular smoking in females (95% CI: 1.192-1.348); and similar associations for males (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.216-1.341).
    CONCLUSION: While the majority of high school students do not become regular smokers after initiating smoking, earlier initiation of smoking is associated with subsequent regular smoking irrespective of sex or race/ethnicity. These findings have potentially important implications for intervention targeting.
    KEYWORDS: Adolescent; Epidemiology; Smoking
  10. Mujar M, Dahlui M, Yip CH, Taib NA
    Prev Med, 2013 Mar;56(3-4):222-4.
    PMID: 23234860 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.12.001
    OBJECTIVE: Treatment delays in breast cancer are generally thought to affect prognosis but the impact on survival remains unclear. Indicators for breast cancer care include time to primary treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether time to primary treatment (TPT) in breast cancer impacts survival.
    METHOD: A total of 648 breast cancer patients treated in the University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC), Malaysia between 2004 and 2005 were included in the study. TPT was calculated from the date of pathological diagnosis to the date of primary treatment. Mortality data was obtained from the National Registry of Births and Deaths. Last date of follow-up was November 2010.
    RESULTS: Median TPT was 18 days. Majority 508 (69.1%) of the patients received treatment within 30 days after diagnosis. The majority was surgically treated. Ethnicity (p=0.002) and stage at presentation (p=0.007) were significantly associated with delayed TPT. Malay ethnicity had delayed TPT compared to the Chinese; Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.9 (Confidence Interval (CI) 1.237, 2.987). Delayed TPT did not affect overall survival on univariate and multivariate analyses.
    CONCLUSION: Time to primary treatment after a diagnosis of breast cancer had no impact on overall survival. Further studies on care before diagnosis are important in drawing up meaningful quality indicators.
  11. Hairi NN, Bulgiba A, Peramalah D, Mudla I
    Prev Med, 2013 Jan;56(1):8-11.
    PMID: 23103916 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.10.016
    Managing stairs is a challenging activity of daily living (ADL) for older people. This study aims to examine the association between visual impairment and difficulty in managing stairs among older people living alone and those living with others.
  12. Wong LP
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S60-3.
    PMID: 23583477 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.03.013
    OBJECTIVE: The prime purpose of this study is to assess HIV/AIDS-related self-stigma and discrimination (S&D) attitudes and associated factors using multivariate analysis of data from the 2010-11 National Survey of Understanding the Root of HIV/AIDS Related Stigma and Discrimination.
    METHOD: A national telephone survey was carried out with 2271 of the Malaysian public aged 18-60 years. The sample was contacted by random digit dialing covering the whole of Peninsular Malaysia from December 2010 to May 2011. The HIV-transmission knowledge, HIV-related self-stigma, and public stigma were investigated.
    RESULTS: Despite high level of HIV-transmission knowledge [mean (SD)=10.56 (2.42), mean score at 70th percentile] the respondents in this study had moderate levels (mean scores near midpoints) of self-stigma and public stigma attitudes. HIV-transmission knowledge score was not significantly correlated with self-stigma score, but showed a significantly small positive effect (r<0.2) for public stigma scores. Ethnicity is the strongest correlate of HIV-transmission knowledge, self-stigma, and public stigma attitudes in the multivariate analyses. Other significant correlates were age, socioeconomic group, and urban-rural setting.
    CONCLUSIONS: The root causes of HIV stigma and discriminatory attitudes were not associated with knowledge deficiency. Interventions should be oriented towards promoting de-stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, and tailored socio-culturally.
    KEYWORDS: Discriminatory; HIV/AIDS; Knowledge; Stigma
  13. Robson N, Bond A, Wolff K
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S8-10.
    PMID: 23624111 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.04.010
    OBJECTIVES: There is evidence that smoking behaviour differs by ethnicity. This study aims to compare smoking behaviour characteristics between Caucasian and Malay smokers.
    METHODS: A cross sectional survey, involving 175 smokers attending smoking cessation clinics at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom and University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between May 2005 and February 2007. Data on demographics, smoking history, nicotine dependence and smoking behaviour were collected.
    RESULTS: All participants were males, mean age 30.7 ± 10.3 years. Caucasians initiated smoking significantly earlier (mean age 14.8 ± 2.8 years) (p = 0.001) and smoked regularly significantly earlier (mean age 17.3 ± 3.5) (p = 0.003) than Malays (mean starting age 16.9 ± 4.4 years and mean age regular use 19.5 ± 4.5 years), respectively. Caucasians smoked less for social integration than Malays (p = 0.03) but smoked more for regulation of negative affect than Malays (p = 0.008) and smoked more for hedonism than Malays (p < 0.001).
    CONCLUSION: Malays smoke as a means of socially integrating. This has important public health implications. Social reasons and the social environment play a role in smoking uptake, smoking maintenance and smoking cessation and this should be borne in mind for strategies planning to promote smoking cessation.
    KEYWORDS: Behaviour; Caucasian; Character; Cigarette; Malay; Nicotine; Smoking
  14. Su TT, Bulgiba AM, Sampatanukul P, Sastroasmoro S, Chang P, Tharyan P, et al.
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S5-7.
    PMID: 23624253 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.04.009
    Clinical Epidemiology (CE) and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) have become increasingly important in an era of rising costs, patient safety concerns and evidence-based health care. CE and EBM research in the Asia Pacific region have grown significantly. However, there are three main challenges such as linking evidence to practice and policy; developing a strong collaborative network; and a need for resources and technical expertise to produce evidence. The Cochrane Collaboration is a possible solution to resolve above challenges identified, particularly the challenge of transforming evidence to practice. In addition, training can be carried out to enhance technical expertise in the region and there is also the promising potential that collaborations could extend beyond systematic reviews. To improve the adoption of evidence-based health policy, selection of the best evidence for the right audience and focusing on the relevant issues through appropriate methodology are essential. Information on effectiveness and cost effectiveness needs to be highlighted for policy makers. The way forward to strengthen research and capacity building is to establish the Asia Pacific Consortium for CE and EBM. The consortium would help to create mutually rewarding scientific research and collaborations that will augur well for advances in CE and EBM.
  15. Loy SL, KNS S, JM HJ
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S41-4.
    PMID: 23219759 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.11.021
    This study aimed to evaluate changes in maternal adiposity and lipid profile and to correlate these parameters with Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels among pregnant women.
  16. Isa MR, Moy FM, Razack AH, Zainuddin ZM, Zainal NZ
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S37-40.
    PMID: 23454597 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.011
    To determine the impact of applied progressive muscle relaxation training on health related quality of life among prostate cancer patients.
  17. Maniam T, Chinna K, Lim CH, Kadir AB, Nurashikin I, Salina AA, et al.
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S45-6.
    PMID: 23454536 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.022
    The aim of this paper is to identify at-risk groups for a focused suicide prevention program for Malaysia.
  18. Ramli N, Nurull BS, Hairi NN, Mimiwati Z
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S47-9.
    PMID: 23352960 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.01.007
    In the absence of raised intraocular pressure (IOP), haemodynamic parameters have been implicated in the development of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). The purpose of this study is to compare 24-hour IOP and haemodynamic parameters in NTG patients and non-glaucoma patients.
  19. Masilamani R, Bulgiba A, Chinna K, Darus A, Isahak M, Kandiben S, et al.
    Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S57-9.
    PMID: 23352959 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.01.008
    This study aims to determine the prevalence of stress and the associated socio-demographic and work factors among police personnel in Metropolitan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links