STUDY DESIGN: A review of articles was performed.
METHODS: A search strategy was used by using electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL for published studies and reference list of published studies. The articles were exported to a bibliographic database for further screening process. Two reviewers worked independently to screen results and extract data from the included studies. Any discrepancies were resolved and confirmed by the consensus of all authors.
RESULTS: There were three screening approaches for detecting MCI and dementia - screening by a healthcare provider, screening by a self-administered questionnaire and caretaker informant screening. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was the most common and preferable tool for MCI screening (sensitivity [Sn]: 81-97%; specificity [Sp]: 60-86%), whereas Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) was the preferable tool for dementia screening (Sn: 79-100%; Sp: 86%).
CONCLUSION: This systematic review found that there are three screening approaches for detecting early dementia and MCI at primary health care. ACE and MoCA are recommended tools for screening of dementia and MCI, respectively.
STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study.
METHODS: In total, 774 households from four states in Malaysia completed face-to-face interviews. A validated structured questionnaire was used, which was composed of a combination of open-ended questions, bidding games and contingent valuation methods regarding the participants' willingness to pay.
RESULTS: The study found that the majority of households supported the establishment of the National Health Financing Scheme, and half proposed that a government body should manage the scheme. Most (87.5%) of the households were willing to contribute 0.5-1% of their salaries to the scheme through monthly deductions. Over three-quarters (76.6%) were willing to contribute to a higher level scheme (1-2%) to gain access to both public and private healthcare basic services. Willingness to pay for the National Health Financing Scheme was significantly higher among younger persons, females, those located in rural areas, those with a higher income and those with an illness.
CONCLUSION: There is a high level of acceptance for the National Health Financing Scheme in the Malaysian community, and they are willing to pay for a scheme organised by a government body. However, acceptance and willingness to pay are strongly linked to household socio-economic status. Policymakers should initiate plans to establish the National Health Financing Scheme to provide the necessary financing for a sustainable health system.
STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study.
METHODS: We used data from the 2012 Malaysian Global School-based Student Health Survey, which covered adolescents aged 11-17 years (51% girls). Adolescents were asked about their physical activity, sitting time, and levels of parental and peer support. Participants with ≥60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day and ≤2 h of sitting time per day were categorised as having an 'active lifestyle'. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationships by gender and age group (11-14 and 15-17 years).
RESULTS: Of the participating adolescents (n = 12,081), 15.3% reported to have an active lifestyle (boys: 22.0%; girls: 8.8%). About 31% reported to have higher levels of parental support, whereas 47% reported higher levels of peer support. Higher parental and peer support were significantly associated with an active lifestyle of boys across both age groups. Girls with higher parental support had higher odds of reporting an active lifestyle in both age groups, whereas higher peer support was significantly associated with an active lifestyle among girls aged 11-14 years.
CONCLUSIONS: This study uniquely extends the current evidence by examining the associations of parental and peer support with physical activity and sitting time combined. More research is needed to understand how different types of social support can influence adolescents' active lifestyle.