OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to document the process of designing, developing, and validating the gamification, motivation, and real-time elements in the Gamified Real-time Video Observed Therapies (GRVOTS) mobile app.
METHODS: The modified nominal group technique via a panel of 11 experts was used to validate the presence of the gamification and motivation elements inside the app, which were assessed based on the percentage of agreement among the experts.
RESULTS: The GRVOTS mobile app, which can be used by patients, supervisors, and administrators, was successfully developed. For validation purposes, the gamification and motivation features of the app were validated as they achieved a total mean percentage of agreement of 97.95% (SD 2.51%), which was significantly higher than the minimum agreement score of 70% (P
METHODS: A nested case-control analysis was conducted on 3,160 eligible participants with renal profile data from The Malaysian Cohort project. CKD status was determined by estimated glomerular filtration rate using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Multiple logistic regression analysis using the likelihood ratio method was used to identify the factors and their interaction with CKD.
RESULTS: This study suggested five factors associated with CKD: gender, ethnicity, physical activity, atherogenic plasma index (AIP), and systolic blood pressure. There was an interaction between AIP and gender, with increased odds of CKD among men with high AIP.
CONCLUSIONS: As CKD is mainly asymptomatic until it is in the later stages, these five factors serve as valuable tools for predicting CKD and enhancing the identification of at-risk individuals, particularly among men with elevated AIP. Future studies should focus on using these factors, especially in preventing new CKD cases and their progression.
METHODS: A total of 13 047 eligible participants were selected from 119 560 The Malaysian Cohort participants. Of these, 750 who developed diabetes were selected as cases, while 3750 controls were chosen randomly from healthy participants. This nested case-control study included 4500 eligible participants from The Malaysian Cohort, with a 1:5 case-to-control ratio. Participants were stratified into four groups based on Cre/BW ratio quartiles. The Cox proportional hazards model evaluated the effect of Cre/BW ratio on developing incident diabetes. The association between Cre/BW ratio and body composition was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient.
RESULTS: Of the 13 047 eligible participants followed up over 5.3 years, 5.75% (n = 750) developed diabetes. Diabetes incidence decreased with increasing Cre/BW ratios. The Cre/BW ratio was inversely correlated with diabetes risk (HR: 0.403, 95% CI: 0.315-0.515, p
METHODS: The broth microdilution method was used to assess antimicrobial efficacy by calculating the percentage of microbial inhibition. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for A. paniculata and commercial intimate washes against the tested pathogens, except for L. crispatus, due to the inability to observe turbidity. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was evaluated for the A. paniculata intimate wash against the same pathogens.
RESULTS: The A. paniculata intimate wash showed the highest percentage of microbial inhibition across all tested pathogens. It also recorded MIC and MBC values of 3.125 mg/ml against E. coli and C. albicans. Among commercial products, SebaMed® demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial effect against S. agalactiae at the same MIC concentration. The study concluded that the A. paniculata intimate wash is a potentially effective treatment for selected vaginal pathogens at higher concentrations and may promote the growth of L. crispatus. SebaMed®, a clinically established product, also exhibited notable antimicrobial properties. However, further in vivo and clinical trials are necessary to confirm efficacy and assess toxicity. The study highlights the need for continued research into the potential of herbal intimate washes for treating vaginal infections.
DESIGN: Two-year prospective cohort study.
SETTING: Kuala Pilah, a district in Negeri Sembilan approximately 100 km from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older. Using a multistage cluster sampling strategy, 1,927 respondents were recruited and assessed at baseline, of whom 1,189 were re-assessed 2 years later.
MEASURES: EAN was determined using the modified Conflict Tactic Scale, and chronic pain was assessed through self-report using validated questions.
RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic pain was 20.4%. Cross-sectional results revealed 8 variables significantly associated with chronic pain-age, education, income, comorbidities, self-rated health, depression, gait speed, and EAN. Abused elderly adults were 1.52 times as likely to have chronic pain (odds ratio=1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03-2.27), although longitudinal analyses showed no relationship between EAN and risk of chronic pain (risk ratio=1.14, 95% CI=0.81-1.60). This lack of causal link was consistent when comparing analysis with complete cases with that of imputed data.
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate no temporal relationship between EAN and chronic pain but indicated cross-sectional associations between the two. This might indicate that, although EAN does not lead to chronic pain, individuals with greater physical limitations are more vulnerable to abuse. Our study also shows the importance of cohort design in determining causal relationships between EAN and potentially linked health outcomes.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.
RESULTS: The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).
CONCLUSIONS: As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a community-based prospective cohort study using randomly selected households from the national census. A multistage sampling method was employed to obtain a total of 2496 older adults living in the rural Kuala Pilah district. The study is divided into two phases: cross-sectional study (baseline), and a longitudinal follow-up study at the third and fifth years. Elder mistreatment was measured using instrument derived from the previous literature and modified Conflict Tactic Scales. Outcomes of elder mistreatment include mortality, physical function, mental health, quality of life and health utilisation. Logistic regression models are used to examine the relationship between risk factors and abuse estimates. Cox proportional hazard regression will be used to estimate risk of mortality associated with abuse. Associated annual rate of hospitalisation and health visit frequency, and reporting of abuse, will be estimated using Poisson regression.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the University of Malaya Medical Center (MEC Ref 902.2) and the Malaysian National Medical Research Register (NMRR-12-1444-11726). Written consent was obtained from all respondents prior to baseline assessment and subsequent follow-up. Findings will be disseminated to local stakeholders via forums with community leaders, and health and social welfare departments, and published in appropriate scientific journals and presented at conferences.