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Fulltext Survey dataset of women perception on caesarean section

Woon YH, Suhaini SA

Data Brief, 2021 Apr;35:106501.
PMID: 33997187 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106501

A caesarean section (CS) is a common birth delivery mode, which involves delivery of the baby through a surgical incision on the mother's abdomen and uterus. This article presents a survey dataset on the perception and response of women about the CS. This survey employed a quantitative research design. The data were collected by means of a face to face questionnaire. Majority of the respondents are in the age range of 31 - 40 years old. The findings indicate that the respondents mainly refer to the internet to obtain information about the birth delivery mode that helped the respondents to decide on their mode of preference. This is followed by obstetrician/midwife and friends. Various statements were used to determine the perception of respondents towards CS.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Quality of Life and Its Predictive Factors Among Healthcare Workers After the End of a Movement Lockdown: The Salient Roles of COVID-19 Stressors, Psychological Experience, and Social Support

Woon LS, Mansor NS, Mohamad MA, Teoh SH, Leong Bin Abdullah MFI

Front Psychol, 2021;12:652326.
PMID: 33897561 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.652326

Although healthcare workers play a crucial role in helping curb the hazardous health impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), their lives and major functioning have been greatly affected by the pandemic. This study examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life (QoL) of Malaysian healthcare workers and its predictive factors. An online sample of 389 university-based healthcare workers completed questionnaires on demographics, clinical features, COVID-19-related stressors, psychological experiences, and perceived social support after the movement lockdown was lifted. All domains of QoL were within the norms of the general population except for social relationship QoL, which was lower than the norm. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that COVID-19-related stressors (e.g., stress due to annual leave being frozen, loss of daily routine, and frequent exposure to COVID-19 patients) and psychological sequelae (e.g., greater severity of depression, anxiety, and stress) predicted lower QoL. Conversely, greater perceived social support from friends and significant others predicted higher QoL. Clinical and demographic characteristics predicted QoL to a lesser extent: A history of pre-existing medical illness was associated only with lower physical health QoL, whereas older age and being single, divorced, or widowed were only predictive of higher environmental QoL. Efforts to enhance QoL among healthcare workers in response to the pandemic should focus on mitigating COVID-19-related stressors and psychological sequelae and facilitating social support.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Stigmatization and discrimination towards people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS by the general public in Malaysia

Wong LP, Syuhada AR

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2011 Sep;42(5):1119-29.
PMID: 22299438

Globally, HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discriminatory attitudes deter the effectiveness of HIV prevention and care programs. This study investigated the general public's perceptions about HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination towards people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in order to understand the root of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discriminatory attitudes. Study was carried out using qualitative focus group discussions (FGD). An interview guide with semi-structured questions was used. Participants were members of the public in Malaysia. Purposive sampling was adopted for recruitment of participants. A total 14 focus group discussions (n = 74) was carried out between March and July 2008. HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) was profound. Key factors affecting discriminatory attitudes included high-risk taking behavior, individuals related to stigmatized identities, sources of HIV infection, stage of the disease, and relationship with an infected person. Other factors that influence attitudes toward PLWHA include ethnicity and urban-rural locality. Malay participants were less likely than other ethnic groups to perceive no stigmatization if their spouses were HIV positive. HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination were stronger among participants in rural settings. The differences indicate attitudes toward PLWHA are influenced by cultural differences.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Who makes a better university adjustment wingman: Parents or friends?

Wider W, Tanucan JCM, Lin J, Jiang L, Udang LN

PLoS One, 2023;18(12):e0294658.
PMID: 38117775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294658

The first year of university is one of the most difficult times in a student's life due to numerous changes that occur. This cross-sectional study explores the concept of parental and peer attachment, which has been researched for its ability to predict students' success in higher education. Yet, less research has investigated the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between attachment and university adjustment among first-year students. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of parent and peer attachment on first-year university students, and understand how these attachments can facilitate university adjustment through identity exploration. This investigation is underpinned by Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment theory and Arnett's emerging adulthood theory. Data were collected from 568 first-year students at a public university in Sabah, Malaysia, via adapted questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was employed using SmartPLS Software 3.0 to analyse the data. The study found that identity exploration mediates the relationship between parental trust, peer communication, and university adjustment. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for professionals working with emerging adult clients, especially those in higher education institutions, aiming to enhance the adjustment level among first-year students.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends*
Fulltext The effect of listening to Qur’anic recitation on social skills among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Wan Fara Adila Wan Ahmad Kaspi, Kartini Ilias, Amir Muhriz Abdul Latiff, Mohd Zaid Daud

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(104):101-101.
MyJurnal

Introduction: The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) keeps increasing every year. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects social communication and social interaction. They also demon-strate restricted, repetitive pattern of behaviour, interest or activities (RRB) that shows at an early developmental age. Due to this characteristic, ASD children are facing difficulties in social skills aspect such as eye contact, expression, and making friends. Studying and reciting the Quran are often used in Malaysia to ameliorate the symptoms, but there is no specific study in Malaysia that demonstrates the impact of these renditions on ASD’s children’s social skills. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect selected Qur’anic verses recitation on the social skills of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: This study will use the quasi-experimental research design. This study will be held at IDEAS Autism Centre, Rawang. The purposive sampling technique will be used and 14 ASD Muslim children aged 4-6 years old will be chosen. The ASD children will be divided into an experimental and control group. The experimental group will be listening to selected Qur’anic verses before the intervention. The Social Responsiveness Scale- Second Edition (SRS-2) will be used to assess the response. The scale consists of a 65-item questionnaire, with a 4-point Likert-scale. Results: The expected result for this study is the ASD children in the experimental group will have lower Total-scores of SRS-2 compared to control group. Conclusion: Listening to Qur’anic recitation provides a cost-effective complementary therapy to improve social skills among Muslim ASD children. Information from this study also can be used as a stepping stone in developing the teaching module to ASD children.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours and its determinants among school-going adolescents in a middle-income country: a cross-sectional study

Teh CH, Teh MW, Lim KH, Kee CC, Sumarni MG, Heng PP, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2019 Aug 27;19(1):1177.
PMID: 31455283 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7516-4

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour and low fruit/vegetable intake have been identified as the major causes of chronic diseases. Such behaviours are usually instigated in adolescence and tend to persist into adulthood. Studies on the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescents are scarce, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, the present paper aimed to determine the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours and its determinants among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional study, the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB) study, which was conducted from May to September 2013 across 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. A two-stage proportionate-to-size sampling method was employed to select a total of 3578 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years from 20 selected schools in urban and rural settlements, respectively. The MyAHRB study adopted a set of self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Global School-based Student's Health Survey (GSHS) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance.
RESULTS: The results from the analysis of 2991 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years showed that 16 (in boys) and 15 (in girls) out of 32 combinations of lifestyle risk behaviours clustered. Girls (aOR 2.82, 95% CI: 2.32-3.43) were significantly more likely to have clustered risk behaviours than boys; however, no significant associated factors were observed among girls. In contrast, boys of Malay descent (aOR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.89) or boys who had at least three friends (aOR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99) were less likely to engage in multiple risk behaviours.
CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the clustering of multiple risk behaviours that occurred in both genders; these results suggest that multiple behaviour intervention programmes, instead of programmes based on siloed approaches, should be advocated and targeted to the high-risk sub-populations identified in the present study.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends/psychology
Fulltext Profile of The Betel/Tobacco Quid Chewers In six Malaysian Estates

Tan, B.S., Rosman, A., Ng, K.H., Ahmad, N.

Ann Dent, 2000;7(1):-.
MyJurnal

The aim of the study was to determine the characteristics and pattern of the betel/tobacco quid chewing habit in the estate Indian community. The study was conducted in 6 randomly selected estates. It involved oral mucosal examination and an interview to solicit personal data as well as history and details of oral habits. Of a total of 618 subjects studied, 19.3 % (n= 119; 89 females and 30 males) were betel !tobacco quid chewers. The youngest age of onset of betel quid chewing is 10 years. The mean frequency of chewing quid is 4.3 times/day and the mean duration of chewing is 8.1 minutes. Initiation to the habit occur at a young age and a major role is played by family and friends in initiation to the habit. Practises of adding tobacco and lime appear to have adverse effects and are associated with higher occurrences of precancer lesions in this study (p

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Perceived social support among university students in Malaysia: a reliability study

Talwar, P., Mohd Fadzil, A.R.

Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 2013;22(1):1-8.
MyJurnal

Background: Social support is the perception that one is cared for, has assistance available from friends and significant others. Social support can be measured by The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. This scale has been widely used and validated in different languages. Objective: To determine the factor structure of The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scale and find its reliability. Method: The study was conducted in one of the Universities in Malaysia. The undergraduate students who volunteered to participate in the study were explained about the purpose of the study and implications. The English version of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scale (MSPSS) that was administered. In all 313 undergraduate students were studied. Exploratory factor analysis, with varimax rotation, was applied to the data Results: The three factor solution accounted for 80.51 % of the total variance. The procedure output has an overall alpha of 0.921. Conclusion: The MSPSS appears to be good enough to be used in Malaysia however more studies are required.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Gender identity disorder is not simply two in one

Syed Masroor, A., Abdul Ghani, K.

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2013;12(2):83-85.
MyJurnal

A Case Report on Gender Identity Disorder with Recurrent Depressive Disorder is presented. Individuals having this disorder often exhibit discomfort about their actual anatomic gender, and they may have wished to alter their bodies. Sex role-stereotypes adopted during childhood are the beliefs, characteristics and behaviors of individual cultures that are considered normal and appropriate for boys and girls to possess. These "norms" are influenced by one's family and friends, the mass-media, and their community. Since some cultures disapprove of cross-gender behavior, it often results in significant problems for affected individuals and those in close relationships with them. The importance of treatment is not only because of the high rate of mental-health problems, including Depression but with higher suicide rate among untreated transsexual people than in the general population. These problems are not usually related to the gender identity issues themselves, but the social and cultural responses to gender-deviated individuals. An example which classically illustrates Gender Identity Disorder is the case of a young man from Brunei Darussalam, who was seen and treated. This
contribution will highlight the cultural and religious perspective of this Disorder.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Smoking among male villagers in Kampung Barambangon, Kudat, Sabah

Swe, Syed Shajee Husain, Khor Chia Kee, Nurfarinah Rais, Ofelia Petrus, Vivien Vanessa Pee Lee Xin, et al.

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2019;15(106):76-76.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Tobacco smoking is a major public health concern worldwide as it is one of the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases leading to burden of adverse health effects in their later life. According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey Malaysia (2011), 43.9% of men, 1.0% of women, and 23.1% overall currently smoked tobacco. It is important to prevent smoking uptake and promote smoking cessation to reduce the impact of tobacco smoking. The constant monitoring of the magnitude of smoking and its influencing factors is crucial for effective planning of anti-smoking programs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of smoking and its associated factors among male villagers in Kampung Barambangon, Kudat, Sabah. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among male villagers aged 15 years and above in Kampung Barambangon, Kudat District, Sabah State. Non probability convenience sampling was employed. The study period was from March to April, 2019. Data collection was done by using pretested self-administered questionnaire and a total of 97 villagers were participated in the study. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The study revealed that the prevalence of smokers among male residents in Kampung Barambangon was 50.5% (95% CI: 48.6–52.1%). It was found that there were significant associations between smoking status and positive attitude towards smoking (p-value 0.001), having siblings who smoked (p value 0.001), having high percentage of friends who smoked (p-value 0.009) and high educational level (p-value 0.005). Conclusion: The prevalence of male smokers in Kampung Barambangon was higher than the national prevalence. The findings may help in understanding the magnitude of the smoking problem and its associated factors which can be used for effective tobacco control and intervention programs.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
The Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R)-Malay Version, Clinical Validation

Subramaniam K, Krishnaswamy S, Jemain AA, Hamid A, Patel V

Malays J Med Sci, 2006 Jan;13(1):58-62.
PMID: 22589592

Use of instruments or questionnaires in different cultural settings without proper validation can result in inaccurate results. Issues like reliability, validity, feasibility and acceptability should be considered in the use of an instrument. The study aims to determine the usefulness of the CIS-R Malay version in detecting common mental health problems specifically to establish the validity. The CIS-R instrument (PROQSY* format) was translated through the back translation process into Malay. Inter rater reliability was established for raters who were medical students. Cases and controls for the study were psychiatric in patients, out patient and relatives or friends accompanying the patients to the clinic or visiting the inpatients. The Malay version of CIS-R was administered to all cases and controls. All cases and controls involved in the study were rated by psychiatrists for psychiatric morbidity using the SCID as a guideline. Specificity and sensitivity of the CIS-R to the assessment by the psychiatrist were determined. The Malay version of CIS-R showed 100% sensitivity and 96.15% specificity at a cut off score of 9. The CIS-R can be a useful instrument for clinical and research use in the Malaysian population for diagnosing common mental disorders like depression and anxiety.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Physical and psychosocial impacts of pregnancy on adolescents and their coping strategies: a descriptive study in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Su XV, Muhammad NA, Tan PS, Tan KTM, Tohid H, Omar K

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2014;14(3):0-0.
MyJurnal

Teenage pregnancy carries serious impacts on adolescent health. This study aimed to examine the effects of pregnancy on adolescents and to explore how they cope with the problems they faced during the pregnancy. It involved 26 adolescents residing in a government shelter home in Kuala Lumpur. A self-administered questionnaire containing a mixture of open- and closed-ended questions was used. Among physical (sleeping problem and self-care problem), psychological (emotional difficulties and low self-efficacy) and social (stigma and discrimination, financial difficulty, friendship problem and school dropout) problems, emotional difficulties were the most common problems, whereas stigma and discrimination was the least common. Young adolescents aged less than 16 years old were significantly associated with poor self-care (p=0.01). To cope with their problems, the adolescents generally used avoidance, withdrawal, and social support, particularly from parents and peers. Doctors were the least popular among all. In conclusion, holistic and individualised care is needed. Strategies to reduce emotional problem experienced by pregnant adolescents should be implemented. The available healthcare services for teenage pregnancy should also be promoted.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Improvement of Blue Ribbon certification by including humanistic value (TFI Buddies)

Siti Munira Yasin, Harizah Mad Hisma, Mazlifah Omar, Nurhuda Ismail, Zahir Izuan Azhar, Zalina Omar, et al.

Jurnal Inovasi Malaysia, 2020;4(1):61-78.
MyJurnal

Cigarette smoke produces more than 4,000 toxic chemicals and 53 of these chemicals can cause cancer. Smoking increases your health risks such as lung cancer, heart attack and stroke. In Malaysia, between 10% and 12% of causes of death are caused by smoking and this results in over 10,000 deaths a year. According to the National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) in 2015, the number of smokers aged 15 and above in Malaysia is estimated to be more than 5 million (22.8%). This alarming amount will lead to increased health costs. Smoking can also lead to a reduction in worker productivity and air pollution and the pollution due to cigarette smoke. Therefore, smokers need to be aware of the effects of smoking habits and the importance of maintaining a tobacco-free environment for the health and well-being of their families, friends and the community around them. To address this, Smoke Busters have created an innovation called Blue Ribbon Star Certification with an additional component of humanization into the TFI Buddies existing Blue Ribbon Certification. The main goal of this innovation is to make University of Technology MARA (UiTM) campuses 100% tobacco free. The first project at the Sungai Buloh Campus resulted in a decrease in the percentage of ‘hotspots’, whereby the number of cigarette butts was found to be greatly reduced. In addition, the percentage of staff with good knowledge and attitude on the effects of cigarettes increased. Feedback from users comprising staff and students also showed a very positive response. The direct impact on faculty and campuses include cost savings in terms of medical expenses and increase in staff productivity. The long-term effects include enhancing UiTM’s image nationally and internationally. From a social point of view, this in addition creates a more caring and responsible generation of colleagues and the environment.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Psycho-behavioural factors contributing to truancy among malay secondary school students in Malaysia

Shamsul Azhar Shah, Azura Abdullah, Azimatun Noor Aizuddin, Mohd Rohaizat Hassan, Nazarudin Safian, Rozita Hod, et al.

ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, 2012;13(2):128-137.
MyJurnal

Objective: Truancy is a disciplinary problem, which frequently occurs among school students and it has many contributory as well as inter-related factors. It is a growing problem in this country and it often becomes a prelude to other delinquent behaviours. The study objective is to determine the prevalence of truancy as well as factors related to it including psycho-behavioural factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 556 Malay student’s selected using multi-stage sampling was conducted. Results: The overall prevalence of truancy is 30.2%. The predictors to truancy are age, students who frequenting entertainment centre, students who have not completed Quran recital, coping strategies using problems solving methods and time spent watching television/video. There is a significant association between truancy and psycho-behaviour such as watching video/internet pornography, frequenting entertainment centre, smoking, motorcycle racing and dating a special friend. Conclusion: Truancy is a social issue, which must be given serious attention by all concerned components of the society.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Social Connections and Self-Perceived Depression: An Enhanced Model for Studying Teenagers' Mental Wellbeing

Sarwar A, Islam MA, Mohiuddin M, Tareq MA, Siddika A

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Nov 27;19(23).
PMID: 36497866 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315791

The rising prevalence of depression among teenagers in Malaysia as well as globally makes it a vital issue to study. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of social connection and self-perceived depression towards the improved mental wellbeing of the teenagers of Malaysia. Moreover, the mediating role of self-perceived depression on the improvement of the mental wellbeing of teenagers is examined in this study. This study followed a questionnaire-based approach. The sample of this study included 289 students aged between 15 and 19 years from Klang Valley, Malaysia. Prior permission was obtained from school authorities as well as from parents to allow their children to participate in the survey. To find out the structural relationship between the variables, PLS-SEM was utilized. This study finds that stronger social connections with family and friends may result in reduced self-perceived depression among Malaysian teenagers. Moreover, self-perceived depression among the teenagers surveyed had a negative effect on their improved mental wellbeing. The findings of this study will significantly affect how depression theories are currently understood and have consequences for social work, services, and policy interventions regarding teenagers in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends*
Fulltext Adolescent health services: do they address the needs of the adolescents - an experience in Barat Daya, Penang

Saraswathi, B.R.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2004;4(1):59-65.
MyJurnal

A cross sectional study was carried amongst adolescent school children in Barat Daya, in 2000. This was to determine the characteristic features of adolescents in the district and to look into their sexual activities, substance use and psychosocial problems with the aim to plan an appropriate adolescent health program. Some 400 students from Form 2 and Form 4 were selected by purposive stratifed and systematic sampling. The study was carried out by trained nurses with an interview using a structured questionnaire. The majority of the respondents were Malays (78.8%) with a household income of less than RM2, 000.00 per if month. Family relations and parental influence were found to be strong. Mental health characteristics scored negatively significantly in this study and those particularly at risk were those who performed poorly in schools. Most claimed not to be involved in high risk behaviour though they knew of friends who did so. Adolescent health services in the district should take an integrated approach with other stakeholders. Health information should be easily available and focus should be given to poor achievers in school.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Tahap keyakinan diri bekas penagih dadah dalam pengawasan di malaysia: ke arah kepulihan menyeluruh (self-esteem among former drug addicts under observation in Malaysia: towards a comprehensive recovery)

Salina N, Fauziah I, Ezarina Z, Mohd Norahim Mohamed S, Nor Jana S

Jurnal Psikologi Malaysia, 2017;31:29-39.

Recovering drug addict is affected by two main factors, namely internal factors (such as resilience and self-confidence) and external (support from families, employers, friends, and community). One of the internal factors that appear to influence the level of recovery of former drug addict is selfconfidence. Therefore this study aims to measure the level of self-confidence among former drug addicts, also known as Orang Kena Pengawasan (OKP) who underwent rehabilitation in 6-11 months and 12-24 months. The study was conducted using cross-sectional surveys. A total of 386 former drug addicts in Peninsular Malaysia were involved in this study with 198 respondents undergoing 6-11 months rehabilitation programme and 197 were respondents who were released within 12-24 months. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. This analysis was used to measure the level of self-confidence between respondents who underwent the 6-11 months rehabilitation programme (Group 1) and 12-24 months (Group 2). The study found that the majority of both groups showed no signiticant difference in the level of recovery from the aspect of self-confidence. The study also found the majority of respondents of both groups showed a moderate level of confidence of 58.5 percent. However, Group 1 showed a higher percentage of self-confidence (63.5%) compared to Group 2 of (53.8%). The findings have implications for the development of strategies towards a strong self-confidence among the inmates to reduce recidivism rates in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext The validity and reliability of the Malay version of the social support for exercise and physical environment for physical activity scales

Sabo A, Kueh YC, Arifin WN, Kim Y, Kuan G

PLoS One, 2020;15(9):e0239725.
PMID: 32986724 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239725

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the validity of the Malay-translated version scales for assessing the social support and physical environment for exercise activities.
METHOD: The study was a cross-sectional design in nature, using self-reported questionnaires among the university students in Malaysia. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling approach. Perceptions regarding social support and physical environment were assessed using the Malay-translated version scales. The standard forward-backwards translation was conducted to translate the English version of the scales to the Malay version. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the translated version scales; composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) were computed.
RESULTS: A total of 857 students participated in this study (female: 49.1%, male: 50.9%). The mean age of the participants was 20.2 (SD = 1.6). The fit indices of the initial hypothesized measurement models (social support and physical environment) were not satisfactory. Further improvements were made by adding covariances between residuals' items within the same factor for each hypothesized model. The final re-specified measurement models demonstrated adequate factor structure for the social support scale with 24 items (CFI = .932, TLI = .920, SRMR = .054, RMSEA = .061), and the physical environment scale with five items (CFI = .994, TLI = .981, SRMR = .013, RMSEA = .054). The CR was .918 for family support, .919 for friend support, .813 for perceived availability, and .771 for perceived quality. The AVEs were .560 for family support, .547 for friend support, .554 for perceived availability, and .628 for perceived quality. The intra-class correlation (ICC) based on test-retest was .920 for family support, .984 for friend support, .895 for availability of facilities, and .774 for quality of facilities.
CONCLUSION: The Malay version of the social support scale for exercise and the physical environment scale for physical activity were shown to have adequate psychometric properties for assessing perceived social support and physical environment among the university students in Malaysia.
PERSPECTIVE: This study presented the psychometric properties of the social support and physical environment scales based on CFA and was the first to translate these scales from the original English version to the Malay version.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Community awareness and attitudes towards influenza outbreak and prevention in Serian, Sarawak

Rohaya Mohd-Nor, Rose Nanju@Manju, Samuel Lihan, Sidiah John Siop, Rekaya Vincent Balang, Constance Rinen Justin Wah, et al.

Int J Public Health Res, 2013;3(2):334-346.
MyJurnal

To date, there has been no systematic research that investigates the rural community awareness and attitudes towards pandemic influenza H1N1 and its prevention measures in the context of Sarawak. There is also no systematic study about whether the initiatives to educate the public undertaken by the government and other agencies have empowered the rural communities to practice an effective self-care within the context of community, that assist to curb the potential spread of this disease. Our research aims to address these limitations. In this paper, we report a survey finding about the awareness and attitudes of the Serian community with regard to this area of research interest. We also investigate the relevant sources of information that the community relies on in understanding about the influenza and how it can spread. Overall, the outcomes of the survey reveal that a majority of our respondents has a relatively low level of knowledge and awareness particularly about the characteristics of the illness and how H1N1 virus can transmit. With regard to prevention measures, a majority of them reported good understanding and awareness about the effective self-care practices that can help to curb the potential spread of the influenza. The top five sources to obtain information about the influenza were: information from family, relatives, friends or neighbours; radio; TV; newspapers; and government health talk seminar or campaigns. The research outcomes can offer pragmatic contributions that can benefit the health campaigners and policy makers.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends
Fulltext Polysubstance use among adolescents in Malaysia: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017

Rodzlan Hasani WS, Saminathan TA, Ab Majid NL, Miaw Yn JL, Mat Rifin H, Abd Hamid HA, et al.

PLoS One, 2021;16(1):e0245593.
PMID: 33476329 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245593

BACKGROUND: Polysubstance use is defined as the use of more than one non-prescribed licit or illicit substance either concurrently or simultaneously. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of single substance users and polysubstance users and 'their associated factors among adolescents in Malaysia.
METHODS: This study was a secondary data analysis from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2017, a cross-sectional survey conducted among Malaysian school-going adolescents aged 13 to 17. The NHMS utilised a two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Multivariate Multinomial Logistic Regression analysis was applied.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of single substance use and polysubstance use among adolescents were 17.2% and 5.1% respectively. The multinomial model showed a higher likelihood of being single or polysubstance user among male (single user OR = 3.0, poly user OR = 4.6), others Bumiputeras vs Malay (single user OR = 1.7, poly user OR = 5.3), those who live with a single parent (single user OR = 1.2, poly user OR = 1.4), involved in truancy (single user OR = 1.7, poly user OR = 3.6) and being bullied (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 3.4), those who had lack of peer support (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 1.4), poor parental bonding (single user OR = 1.4, poly user OR = 1.8), depression (single user OR = 1.4, poly user OR = 3.2) and those who had no close friend (single user OR = 1.3, poly user OR = 2.7).
CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted multiple significant associated factors of single and polysubstance use among adolescents in Malaysia. This result can assist in the development of specific intervention and prevention programs targeting high-risk groups.

Matched MeSH terms: Friends

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