METHODS: This was an exploratory qualitative study conducted via semi-structured interviews with twenty-two women who were married when they were younger than 18 years old in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Participants were recruited through purposive and convenient sampling with the use of data from a reproductive health clinic and recruitment in villages. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis.
RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified: health risk behaviour, family poverty, early marriage as fate, and family disharmony.
CONCLUSIONS: In-depth understanding of the unique factors leading to child marriage locally will facilitate the introduction of new approaches to interventions to eradicate child marriage in Sarawak state, Malaysia.
Objectives: The study was conducted to assess whole-grain intake pattern and factors influencing intake among Malaysian medical students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study investigating whole-grain intake among 151 medical students in a private medical university in Malaysia was conducted from January to June 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic variables, the whole-grain intake pattern and the knowledge and attitudes toward whole-grain intake. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were used.
Results: The prevalence of reported whole-grain intake in the past 3 months was 51%. Chinese ethnicity, readiness to adhere to Malaysian food pyramid, and self-preparation of food, and eating at home were significantly associated with whole-grain consumption. However, the primary determinants of food choice such as education, knowledge, and affordability did not seem to influence whole-grain consumption. Whole-grain consumption is relatively low among Malaysian medical students. Cultural background and self-belief influence this practice despite being from the medical fraternity.
Conclusions: Efforts are needed to bridge the knowledge-practice gap by assessing the barriers to whole-grain consumption to design effective initiatives to promote an increase in whole-grain consumption.
METHODS: Researchers developed 6 culturally relevant disease scenarios varying from low to high medical seriousness. Quota samples of approximately 290 middle-aged urban residents in Australia, China, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Thailand, and the USA completed an online survey that examined desired levels of FI and identified individual difference predictors in each country. All reliability coefficients were acceptable. Regression models met standard assumptions.
RESULTS: The strongest finding across all 7 countries was that those who desired higher self-involvement (SI) in medical decision making also wanted lower FI. On the other hand, respondents who valued relational-interdependence tended to want their families involved - a key finding in 5 of 7 countries. In addition, in 4 of 7 countries, respondents who valued social hierarchy desired higher FI. Other antecedents were less consistent.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest that it is important for health providers to avoid East-West cultural stereotypes. There are meaningful numbers of patients in all 7 countries who want to be individually involved and those individuals tend to prefer lower FI. On the other hand, more interdependent patients are likely to want families involved in many of the countries studied. Thus, individual differences within culture appear to be important in predicting whether a patient desires FI. For this reason, avoiding culture-based assumptions about desired FI during medical decision making is central to providing more effective patient centered care.
METHODS: We conducted focus groups among healthy English-speaking Malay women in Singapore, aged 40 to 69 years, using a structured guide developed through literature review, expertise input and participant refinement. Thematic analysis was conducted to extract dominant themes representing key motivators and barriers to screening and genetic testing. We used grounded theory to interpret results and derive a framework of understanding, with implications for improving uptake of services.
RESULTS: Five focus groups (four to six participants per group) comprising 27 women were conducted to theme saturation. Major themes were (a) spiritual and religious beliefs act as barriers towards uptake of screening and genetic testing; (b) preference for traditional medicine competes with Western medicine recommendations; (c) family and community influence health-related decisions, complexed by differences in intergenerational beliefs creating contrasting attitudes towards screening and prevention.
CONCLUSIONS: Decisions to participate in breast cancer screening and genetic testing are influenced by cultural, traditional, spiritual/religious, and intergenerational beliefs. Strategies to increase uptake should include acknowledgement and integration of these beliefs into counseling and education and collaboration with key influential Malay stakeholders and leaders.