Little is known on respiratory effects of indoor chemicals in the tropics. We investigated associations between asthma and respiratory infections in Malaysian students and chemical exposure at home and at school. Moreover, we investigated differences in home environment between the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia (Malay, Chinese, Indian). Totally, 462 students from 8 junior high schools in Johor Bahru participated (96% participation rate). The students answered a questionnaire on health and home environment. Climate, carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were measured inside and outside the schools. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to study associations between exposure and health. Totally 4.8% were smokers, 10.3% had wheeze, 9.3% current asthma, and had 18.8% any respiratory infection in the past 3 months. Malay students had more dampness or mould (p
Blood lead concentration and 6»aminolevulinic acid in urine were used as indicator for lead exposure among school children in an industrial area south of the peninsular Malaysia. A group of 1 00 Malay children which consist of 48 boys and 52 girb with the age range of 61/2 to 81/2 years from a primary school were selected as chiMren. Blood samples were collected and analyzed with Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The urine 6-aminolevulinic acid concentrations were measured with UV/VIS Spectrophotometer. The mean blood lead was 3.75ug/dl. Based on the biological index, 76% of the children are in the “normal range" (
Each nursing student comes to nursing with a lay image of nursing portrayed by nurses they have seen. This lay perception of nursing that a nursing student holds is transformed to a more professional understanding that is acquired in nursing schools. This process is known as professional socialization. It is a process of learning the norms, attitudes, behaviours, skills, roles, and values of the profession. It involves the internalization of the values and norms of the profession in the individual’s own behaviour and self-concept. The ultimate goal of professional socialization is to internalize a professional identity of the profession. Professional socialization sets in to reduce the tension from the scenario of reality shock and facilitate adaptation during the transition process. This paper serves as a concept paper with the main purpose of introducing and explaining the concept of professional socialization in nursing to help the readers in gaining further understanding of the concept, especially within the local context. The first author has also incorporated her own personal reflections with regards to her socialization process to nursing.
To help adults learners stay competitive in the changing work environments of the 21st century, the teaching and learning of adult learners ought to transition from the traditional didactic school of education to embrace self-directed and social forms of learning. This study proposes a conceptual framework of a mediated activity system in developing the e-socioconstructivist learning environment (eSCLE); which is a learner-centred environment incorporating the design of a physical and virtual learning space conducive for constructing knowledge and building upon existing knowledge in collaboration with others. The design of the eSCLE is a preliminary research attempt to develop instructional learning environments that reflect the unstructured seamless nature of lifelong self-directed learning. It was conducted among a cohort of Master of Instructional Technology (MIT) students enrolled in the Instructional Design and Development (IDD) Course in a local Higher Institution of Learning. Findings from survey questionnaires, content analysis, observation and interview reveal systemic tensions faced by learners in self-directing their learning in the eSCLE where it is suggested that appropriate balance and discretion in managing conflicting situations is needed. The integration of web-based technology is found to be able to scaffold self-directed learning as collaborative mediating tools where functional roles of both instructor and learner-determined web tools enable self-directed actions. Finally, the designed eSCLE is able to facilitate the development of self-directed learning as learners transition through various self-directed learning phases in a steep learning curve, towards continuous lifelong learning.
Objective: Postgraduate medical training has always been regarded as a highly stressful environment to students. This article described an initial finding on prevalence and sources of stress among postgraduate students. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on postgraduate students in the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Sample size as calculated for this preliminary study was 38 and convenient sampling method was applied. The 12 items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Postgraduate Stressors Questionnaire (PSQ) were administered during a workshop involving postgraduate students. Data was analysed using SPSS version 12. Results: Thirty three participants participated in this study. This study found that the prevalence of distressed postgraduate students was 36.4%. The top ten stressors were tests and examinations, large amount of content to be learnt, time pressure to meet deadlines, doing work beyond
ability, work overload, unfair assessment by superior, fears of making mistakes that can lead to serious consequences, doing work that mentally straining, work demands affect my personal and home life, and lack of time to review what have been learnt. Conclusion: This study found that there was a high prevalence of distressed postgraduate students. It also found that the major stressors were related to academic and performance pressure.
Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) is a systematic, semi-structured activity carried out in the field by a multidisciplinary team that is designed to obtain new information and hypotheses about rural life. This article reports the results of an RRA conducted in Kampung Paris 1 (KGP1), Kinabatangan, Sabah under the Annual Health Promotion Program of the School of Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. A systematic random sampling was used to recruit the villagers and data was obtained through compilation of pre-existing data, field observation, structured interviews with key informants and villagers. Cardiorespiratory diseases were prevalent in KGP1. Common water sources such as rain water collected in dug wells in KGP1 were unhygienic. Dangerous toxic fumes were produced by the burning of municipal wastes nearby village houses. The villagers of KGP1 were exposed to various farm animals, which may harbor zoonoses. Health care services are limited in KGP1. Villagers who were not poor (>RM897) represented 48% of the population, followed by the poor (RM503-897), 20% and the hardcore poor (1.00 person per bedroom. Poor water hygiene, polluted air from open burning, exposure to farm animals, poverty, poor education, overcrowding and inadequate health care services were among the few possible factors affecting the health of villagers in KGP1. Formal rigorous research should be conducted in the future to facilitate specific health interventions in areas of need such as KGP1.
The aim of the present study is to determine the “community indicator” for dental caries among secondary school children within the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (FTKL). School factors were investigated for their ability to be used as community indicators. The components encompassing school factors include: type of school, school’s examination performances at the Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah (PMR) level, in the subjects of Mathematics, Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language), Science and English, school’s socioeconomic circumstances and school’s material deprivation. The study design is ecological in nature where schools were the unit of analysis. It used aggregated data for caries experiences acquired from the Oral Health Management Information System and the school factors which were extracted from the schools’ database. The subjects involved in this study were all the (75) day type secondary schools in FTKL. However, only 55 schools had complete information both for the dental caries factor and the school factors which were available for analysis. The use of bivariate analysis suggested that the school mean DMFT was significantly associated with the schools’ performance in English (p= 0.02) and the schools’ socioeconomic code (p= 0.005). The schools’ performance in English and socioeconomic code were able to explain about 10 percent and 14 percent of the variation in the school mean DMFT respectively. The final model that included both variables together explained about 17 percent of the variation in school mean DMFT. As a conclusion, this study suggests that the schools’ performance in English at the PMR level and the schools’ socioeconomic code could be used as community indicator to identify secondary schools with higher caries level in FTKL. Nevertheless, further
improvement of the model is needed in order to create a more reliable indicator.
Dengue Fever is a major public health issue in Malaysia. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice regarding dengue fever and effectiveness of health education programme among 204 students of Alam Shah Science School, Cheras/Kuala Lumpur. Study design was a cross sectional study followed by an interventional (pre-post) Study. The self-administered questionnaire included questions on sociodemographic factors, knowledge, attitude and practice regarding dengue fever. Majority of respondents were Malays (96.6%), monthly family income more than RM 3000 (64.6%) and lives in urban area (64.6%). There was no significant association between knowledge status and socio-demographic factors (p-value>0.05). Most of the respondents had good knowledge (63.2%) good attitudes (79.9%) regarding dengue fever. However, practices to prevent dengue was poor (74.0%). Only about one-fifth of the respondents (18.2%) believed that dengue fever is a flu-like illness. Knowledge score was significantly increased after health education programme (p value
Medical professionalism is now more crucial than ever. Recently, more and more misconduct among doctors widely portrayed and unashamedly publicized by the popular press. Medical Schools in Malaysia are working hard to rectify their weaknesses so that their products are competent and professional doctors. Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) certainly views this matter seriously and has incorporated professionalism training or as we call it Affective Domain Training into the curriculum implemented in all phases of the medical education. An example is the innovative inclusion of Community Project in the curriculum of undergraduate psychiatry. Although it started off with wanting to get students involved in creating awareness amongst the public about mental illness, but through it, students attained exposure in leadership, team-working and communication skills as well as what it means to be altruistic, to work under stress, to be empathic and many more. The students themselves enjoyed it. Although the down side include extra time, money and manpower, it can be safely concluded that having a community project in psychiatry undergraduate curriculum or other specialties for that matter could be an innovative and enjoyable way to nurture medical professionalism.
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of the agility ladder drills in improving the dynamic balance ability of school children. Eighteen primary school male participants were assigned randomly into an experimental and control group respectively. The experimental group practiced the agility ladder drill activities for four weeks (three time a week) after school whereas the control group adhered to their normal daily routine without any intervention. Pre and post tests on dynamic balance were administered using the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Statistical analyses using 2 group vs 3 tests ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor showed no main effects between groups and tests. However, there was a significant interaction between group and test. The experimental group improved their dynamic balance score from pre- to post-test compared to the control group although no significant improvements were observed in the retention test. Agility ladder drills provide an additional approach to improve the dynamic balance of young children.
Teachers face one of the highest demands of any professional group to use their voices at work. Thus, they are at
higher risk of developing voice disorder than the general population. The consequences of voice disorder may have
impact on teacher’s social and professional life as well as their mental, physical and emotional state and their
ability to communicate. Objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of voice disorder and the
relationship between voice disorder with associated risk factors such as teaching activities and lifestyle factors
among primary school teachers in Bintulu, Sarawak. A cross sectional study was conducted based on random sample
of 4 primary schools in Bintulu, Sarawak between January-March 2014. A total of 100 full-time primary school
teachers were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire
addressing the prevalence of voice disorder and potential risk factors. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test was
used to measure the relationship between voice disorder and associated risk factors. The response rate for this study
was 78% (78/100). The study found that the prevalence of voice disorder among primary school teachers in Bintulu,
Sarawak was 13%. Chi-square test results revealed that factors significantly associated with voice disorder (p
This study on anthropometrics of Primary School children from grade 1 to 5 in Peninsular Malaysia involves 2310 students aged seven to eleven years old. The objectives were to analyze the differentiation of anthropometrics between children of grades 1 to 5 and grouping them to suitable levels in which they are appropriate to propose chair dimensions. A multi-stage sampling method was used, and rural and urban areas were also included in providing anthropometric database that represents the whole Peninsular Malaysia population. There were six dimensions measured in this study, which are sitting shoulder, sitting subscapular height, sitting elbow height, hip width, buttock-popliteal length and popliteal height. All the measurements were chosen to represent dimensions needed to construct ergonomic school chair. From the results, ANOVA showed p-values of
This paper examines relationship between media literacy and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) variables focusing on consumption of soft drink among adolescents in Klang Valley, Malaysia. In addition, this paper also determines soft drink consumption, level of media literacy and the influences of the TPB variables on the intention of soft drink consumption. A cluster sampling method was used in collecting data within the Klang Valley area. The sample consisted of 436 adolescents from secondary school, aged between 13 to 18 years old. Two main scales utilized were Media Literacy (ML) scale and TPB scale. The descriptive, multiple linear regression and Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were carried out to answer the research objectives. Results revealed that 36% of respondents drank a minimum of 1 can, bottle or glass of soft drink for the past seven days and possess good level of media literacy (35%). Meanwhile, 14% of variance in adolescents’ intention of soft drink consumption is explained by TPB variables. Additionally, the total media literacy score towards soft drink advertisement was significantly positively correlated with attitude (r = 0.250, p
The Physics Interviewing Project assists graduate physics departments in evaluating foreign applicants. Supported by some 20 universities, two interviewers, both working scientists, travel abroad and interview students individually for about 1 hour each. Prospective teaching assistants are rated on physics knowledge, problem-solving ability, and English language proficiency. Ratings on all interviewees are sent to all supporting schools and other schools as requested. The Project aids able students from countries that have no physics Ph.D. programs (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand) to obtain assistantships and Ph.D.'s abroad, assists in the technological development of those countries, and helps U.S. schools in selecting the most promising foreign candidates. A similar program should be beneficial in other sciences.
The importance of incorporating medical (or health) informatics into the education of medical students and medical practitioners is being increasingly recognised. The advances in information and communication technology and the pervasion of the Internet into everyday life have important implications for healthcare services and medical education. Students and practitioners should learn to utilise biomedical information for problem solving and decision making based on evidence. The extensive introduction of electronic health information systems into hospitals and clinics and at the enterprise level in Malaysia and elsewhere is driving a demand for health professionals who have at least basic skills in and appreciation of the use of these technologies. The essential clinical informatics skills have been identified and should be incorporated into the undergraduate medical curriculum. It is recommended that these be introduced in stages and integrated into existing programmes rather than taught as a separate module. At the same time, medical schools should support the integration of e-learning in the educational process in view of the numerous potential benefits.
Introduction: Family Environment Scale (FES) was developed by Moos1, has ten subscales and was categorized into three dimensions.Objective:The objective of this study was to develop factor structure for the Malay-translated version of the FES subscales. Methodology: The study used Malay translated version of FES by Khairani et. al2. This study was a multi centre, cross-sectional study, involving four secondary schools consisted of adolescents, aged between 12-17 years old and a total of 295 participants were enrolled in this study. Exploratory factor analyses was done across two groups of analysis set on the subscales with Cronbach’s alpha more than 0.50 and 0.53 respectively. Results: Two distinct factors were extracted across the four subscales consisted of Cohesion, Conflict and Organization in factor 1 and only Control in factor 2. Conclusion: The finding indicated that element of Cohesion, Conflict and Organization has a good indicator of a good family relationship.
Introduction: Clinical educators around the globe agreed that an optimal educational climate is a vital aspect for effective learning to take place. This study was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of graduates toward the quality of clinical education climate in USM medical school. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of USM medical graduates. Questionnaires were administered to the graduates to measure their perception on four aspects of clinical education climate that include structure of clinical rotation, clinical teaching and learning activities, quality of lecturers and end clinical rotation assessment across 13 clinical rotations. The graduates were requested to respond to seven-Likert scale ranging from 1(poor) to 7(excellent). Scores of equal to or more than 5 was considered as positive areas, scores of between 4 and 5 were considered as areas for improvement, and scores less than 4 were considered as areas of concern. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 105 (96.3%) graduates responded to the questionnaire. Results showed only the paediatric rotation obtained positive ratings on all areas of the clinical rotation structure. With regards to teaching and learning activities, the graduates scored most of the clinical rotations between 4 and 5. With regards to the quality of lecturers, most of the clinical rotations obtained score more than 5. Most of the areas related to the end-of-assessment of clinical rotation obtained score more than 5 except for the feedback adequacy, indicating inadequacy of feedback they received. Conclusion: USM medical graduates positively perceived the quality of lecturers during clinical training, however several areas of clinical education related to clinical rotation structure, clinical teaching and learning activities, and feedback practice were perceived by them as areas for improvement. Medical schools should introduce strategic measures to address the concerns raised by the graduates to ensure the best clinical learning experience are provided to the current and future medical students.
Introduction: Mentoring medical students is one of the essential responsibilities or missions of a medical school faculty. Objective: This study aimed to determine the perceptions of mentorship and mentoring practices among mentors using a convergent parallel method. Method: Quantitative data was collected by using an adopted validated self- administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Qualitative data was done using one-to-one interview based on semi structured interview guide and analyzed using thematic analysis. Result: A total of 61 respondents participated in the quantitative survey. Approximately 75% of the respondents had 5 to 10 mentees, with majority rated themselves as satisfactory mentor. More than 60% of them met their mentees at least once every six months. Most respondents were friendly (86.9%) and frank to their mentees (68.9%) and were interested in their mentees’ professional development (95.1%). Phone calling (93.4%) and E-mail (95.1%) were preferred as modes of contact. Mentees were allowed to call their mentors anytime of the day (74.1%). Respondents preferred to counsel their mentees (80.3%) and would refer them for professional help whenever necessary (70.5%). For qualitative data, a total of 5 participants participated with themes emerged: concepts of mentoring, factors contributing to ineffective mentoring and ways to improve mentoring practices. Conclusion: The respondents had positive perceptions regarding their mentorship and practices. A more structured approach with clear mentoring guideline and proper training should be in place.
Background: Historically, more men enrolled in medical schools than women. However, during the last few decades, there has been an increase in the number of women attending medical schools worldwide. Although a similar trend is seen, there is no documentation found in Malaysia. In this present study, we investigated if such gender enrolment differences occurred at our medical school. Methods: Information was obtained from Kulliyyah of Medicine student statistic for 2006/2007 section and graduates from 2001/2002 (1st batch) to 2006/2007. Results: Our study showed that more than half (60%)of our students are female and all students who received distinction in final year exam from 2002 till now are females although the number of males who needed to sit for the supplementary examination outnumbered the females during that period. Discussion: The feminization of medicine in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) was similar to other studies worldwide. Further research should be aimed on comparison of the academic performance of male and female medical students and also choice of specialty chosen by men and women in our university.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) was introduced to provide an organised approach to clinicians and other health care providers in using research to care for their patients[1]. By highlighting the importance of research in patient care, EBM has also provided many researchers a strong sense of purpose, with increased awareness that their everyday activities are being recognised as relevant to patient care. Most medical schools have some form of the EBM training programme at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and many researchers, clinical epidemiologists, and biostatisticians together with clinicians are actively engaged in teaching EBM to students of medicine and other health sciences. However, the flourishing activities of EBM education bring along
challenges.