Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 42 in total

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  1. Cheah WL, Dollah NB, Chang CT
    Malays J Med Sci, 2012 Jul;19(3):36-42.
    PMID: 23610548 MyJurnal
    This study aimed to determine the perceptions and expectations of bone cancer patients with respect to their doctors and the breaking of bad news as well as the environment in which the news was delivered.
  2. Chang CT, Lee PY, Cheah WL
    Malays J Med Sci, 2012 Apr;19(2):27-34.
    PMID: 22973135 MyJurnal
    Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) was the second leading cause of death in Malaysia in 2006. CHD has known risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.
    Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among 260 participants aged 20 to 65 years in a rural community in Sarawak.
    Results: The prevalences of overweight and obesity in this study were 39.6% and 11.9%, respectively. Approximately 13% of participants had hypertension, and 1.5% had a random blood sugar greater than 11.1 mmol/L. Chi-square tests showed significant associations between obesity and gender (P = 0.007), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and race (P = 0.05), high total cholesterol and age (P = 0.007), age and hypertension (P = 0.011), smoking and gender (P < 0.001), and smoking and income (P = 0.050). Age-adjusted logistic regression showed that women were 0.246 times more likely to be obese, that older participants (> 45 years) were 0.395 times more likely to have high cholesterol and that those with a higher monthly household income (> RM830) were 2.471 times more likely to smoke.
    Conclusion: These findings indicate that we should be concerned about the high rates of overweight in this rural community to prevent obesity.
    Study site: 8 villages, Serian district, Sarawak, Malaysia
    Keywords: adult; cardiovascular diseases; epidemiology; obesity; prevalence; risk factors.
  3. Majorie Ensayan J, Cheah WL, Hazmi H
    Malays J Med Sci, 2023 Aug;30(4):147-156.
    PMID: 37655155 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2023.30.4.13
    BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PD) among women, if left untreated, may result in long-term health and social consequences for them and their families. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the factors contributing to PD among working mothers in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

    METHODS: Systematic sampling was used to recruit working mothers who attended Kuching's maternal and child health clinics. They were interviewed with a validated translated questionnaire to obtain data on sociodemographics, health profiles, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and postpartum symptoms. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 21.0.

    RESULTS: Out of the total 281 respondents, 15.3% of respondents had depression symptoms. Fatigue (42.7%), back or neck pain (36.3%), breast discomfort (16.4%), dizziness (13.5%) and nipple irritation (11.0%) were the most common physical symptoms experienced by the mothers. Regression analysis showed that working mothers who exhibited higher scores of physical symptoms were 1.26 times more likely to develop PD (adjusted odd ratio 1.26, P < 0.01; 95% CI: 1.071, 1.487).

    CONCLUSION: Physical symptoms were the predictors of PD among working mothers.

  4. Cheah WL, Lee PY, Lim PY, Fatin Nabila AA, Luk KJ, Nur Iwana AT
    Malays Fam Physician, 2012;7(2-3):21-30.
    PMID: 25606252 MyJurnal
    Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects a patient's quality of life. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the socio-demographic and disease profile factors associated with poor quality of life among patients with diabetes. The study was conducted at a primary health care clinic in Kuching between August to November 2010. Short Form - 36 (SF - 36) questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life of diabetic patients aged ≥ 18. A total of 142 respondents participated in the survey. After adjusting for age, those with no education scored lower at vitality (p=0.043) and emotional health (p=0.033) compared with those who have tertiary education. Those working in the private sector scored better for physical functioning (p=0.042) compared with pensioners and the unemployed. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes scored lower in the role-emotional domain (p=0.003). Participants who were on <3 (p=0.014) and ≥3 (p=0.024) oral medications had better score for role-physical than those on insulin. Those on insulin had worse score for bodily pain than those on oral medication only (vs <3 oral drugs, p=0.026; vs ≥3 oral drugs, p=0.001). Various socio-demographic factors, uncontrolled diabetes and insulin usage were found to have negative impact on a diabetic patient's quality of life. Programmes addressing the physical and emotional needs of diabetic patients at the primary health care setting are essential to help improve their quality of life.
  5. Cheah WL, Wan Muda WAM, Zamh ZH
    Rural Remote Health, 2010;10(1):1248.
    PMID: 20184392
    Many studies had shown that poor growth in children is associated with malnutrition. The underlying factors are diverse, multisectoral and interrelated, ranging from biological to social, cultural and economically related. Because the highest levels of under-nutrition worldwide are found in South Asia, it is essential that policymakers in the region understand the underlying determinants, in order to design effective public health intervention programs. This is especially so if public resources are limited. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine causal relationships among the biological, behavioural and environmental factors related to malnutrition in children aged 5 years and under.
  6. Cheah WL, Chang CT, Hazmi H, Kho GWF
    Int J Hypertens, 2018;2018:6736251.
    PMID: 30155286 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6736251
    This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the predictive power of anthropometric indicators and recommend cutoff points to discriminate hypertension among adolescents in Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 2461 respondents aged 12-17 years participated in this study with mean age of 14.5±1.50 years. All anthropometric indicators had significant area under the ROC curve, with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) ranging from 0.7 to 0.8. The best anthropometric indicators for predicting hypertension for boys were WC, BMI, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). For girls, BMI was the best indicators followed by WHtR and WC. The recommended BMI cutoff point for boys was 20 kg/m2 and 20.7 kg/m2 for girls. For WC, the recommended cutoff point was 67.1 cm for boys and 68.2 cm for girls. BMI and WC indicators were recommended to be used at the school setting where the measurement can easily be conducted.
  7. Cheah WL, Giloi N, Chang CT, Lim JF
    Malays J Med Sci, 2012 Jul;19(3):57-63.
    PMID: 23610550
    This study aimed to determine the perception and level of safety satisfaction of staff nurses with regards to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management practice in the Sabah Health Department, and to associate the OSH management dimensions, to Safety Satisfaction and Safety Feedback.
  8. Cheah WL, Lee PY, Khatijah Y, Rasidah AW
    Malays J Med Sci, 2011 Apr;18(2):58-65.
    PMID: 22135588 MyJurnal
    It is important to understand the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially in a rural setting.
  9. Cheah WL, Lee PY, Chang CT, Mohamed HJ, Wong SL
    PMID: 23691641
    Although the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome has been previously firmly established, the prevalence of NAFLD and its risk factors in rural communities remains incompletely defined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD amongst a rural community in Sarawak. An indigenous village was randomly selected where all adults aged 21 years and above underwent an abdominal ultrasound, biochemical tests and an anthropometric assessment. Respondents with a score > or =8 on an alcohol-use disorders-identification test (AUDIT) indicating harmful or hazardous drinking were excluded. Seventy-seven respondents (46.8% male, mean age 48.4 SD 16.64), met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of ultrasound diagnosed NAFLD was 44.2% (n=34), among them 52.9% had moderate NAFLD. There were no significant age or gender differences between respondents with and without NAFLD, although those with NAFLD were older. Respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher BMI t,han those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Both male and female respondents with NAFLD had a significantly higher waist circumference than those without NAFLD (p<0.001). Prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly higher among those with NAFLD. However, there were no significant differences in terms of percentage of unhealthy body fat and muscle, and serum HDL levels. Risk factors independently associated with NAFLD included male gender (odd ratio 0.06; 95% CI 0.008-0.523) and waist circumference (odd ratio 1.2; 95% CI 1.036-1.421). There was a high prevalence of NAFLD and the presence of more severe stages of disease in this indigenous population. Life-style related diseases, such as fatty liver disease, can occur in rural as well as urban populations.
  10. Cheah WL, Wan Muda WA, Mohd Hussin ZA, Thon CC
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2012 Mar;24(2):330-42.
    PMID: 20833668 DOI: 10.1177/1010539510380737
    The aim of the study was to identify the factors associated with undernutrition indicators in children 5 years and younger in a rural community in Malaysia. A total of 295 children and their carers were selected from community clinics based on a multistage sampling method. Pretested questionnaire, anthropometric measurement, and dietary assessment were used for data collection. There was 69% stunting, 63.4% underweight, 40% wasting, and 26.8% with mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) for age below a z score of -2 among children. In all, 10 factors were found to be associated with different indicators of undernutrition. Age was the only factor that had association with all the undernutrition indicators. Total household income and total expenditure showed significant association with underweight. Birth weight was reported to have significant association with underweight, stunting, and low MUAC-for-age. The findings suggest that the factors of undernutrition were different for different indicators of undernutrition and thus give a more comprehensive picture on factors contributing to acute and chronic malnutrition.
  11. Cheah WL, Wan Manan WM, Zabidi-Hussin ZM, Chang KH
    Malays J Nutr, 2007 Mar;13(1):19-28.
    PMID: 22692186 MyJurnal
    Underlying causes of most nutrition related problems are diverse, including biological, social, cultural, and economic factors. Qualitative approaches complement quantitative methods in identifying the underlying meanings and patterns of relationships involved in managing malnutrition. This study examined perceptions regarding malnutrition among health workers from 7 clinics (community and health clinics) in Tumpat, Kelantan. A total of 18 nurses and 2 doctors, who were involved in monitoring child health and nutrition, were included in the study. These health workers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from Sastry's framework on malnutrition (Sastry, 1996). The questionnaire included biological, behavioral and environmental factors that influence child health and nutrition. All the health workers perceived that mothers/caregivers play the main role in improving the health of malnourished children. The quality of childcare was rated as moderately satisfactory by the health workers. Most of the affected families who were given the Food Baskets did not fully use all the items for the malnourished child. Child feeding practice was based on the needs of the whole family rather than according to the target child's needs. Most of the mothers preferred processed cereals than rice porridge because the former is easier to prepare for the child. Although they were from a low socioeconomic background, most of the mothers were not earning additional income for the family. The qualitative methodology provided information that can be used as a basis for the designing of quantitative questionnaires to assess malnutrition among children. The induction characteristic of qualitative methods was used to gain an understanding of the underlying reasons or phenomena such as behaviours that are directly observable.
    Study site: Klinik kesihatan, Tumpat, Kelantan, Malaysia
  12. Awang H, Low WY, Tong WT, Tan LY, Cheah WL, Benedict Lasimbang H, et al.
    J Biosoc Sci, 2019 03;51(2):282-291.
    PMID: 29978769 DOI: 10.1017/S0021932018000214
    The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of East Malaysian adolescents on sexual and reproductive health issues. Data were collected in March-July 2015 from 2858 adolescents aged 13-18 years from selected East Malaysian secondary schools using a self-administered questionnaire. Twelve items relating to sexual and reproductive health were used to measure respondents' knowledge based on their responses 'True', 'False' or 'Don't know', with the proportion of correct answers being the variable of interest. Cronbach's alpha for the twelve items was 0.761 and the mean knowledge score was 6.8. While the majority of the respondents knew that a woman can get pregnant if she has sex with a man and that HIV and AIDS can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, knowledge about Malaysia's abortion laws, that a woman can get pregnant if she has sex only once and that people with sexually transmitted infections may look healthy was poor. Older respondents and those from urban schools reported significantly higher knowledge than younger respondents and those from rural schools, respectively. More emphasis should be given in schools to the specific topics for which low levels of sexual and reproductive health knowledge were found, with greater attention being given to younger adolescents and those in rural areas.
  13. Bo MS, Cheah WL, Lwin S, Moe Nwe T, Win TT, Aung M
    J Nutr Metab, 2018;2018:7027624.
    PMID: 30116641 DOI: 10.1155/2018/7027624
    Background: Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) was found to be one of the strongest markers in predicting the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study was to determine the AIP and its relationship with other CVD risk factors.

    Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 349 staff of a public university in Sarawak. Data were collected using questionnaire, blood sampling, and anthropometric and blood pressure measurement. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.

    Results: A total of 349 respondents participated with majority females (66.8%), aged 38.5 ± 7.82 years. Nearly 80% of the respondents were overweight and obese, 87.1% with high and very high body fat, and 46.9% with abnormal visceral fat. For AIP category, 8.9% were found to be in intermediate and 16.4% were at high risk. Elevated lipid profile showed that total cholesterol (TC) is 15.5%, low density lipoprotein (LDL) is 16.1%, and triglyceride (TG) is 10.6%. AIP was significantly correlated with body mass index (r=0.25), visceral fat (r=0.37), TC (r=0.22), LDL (0.24), HDL (r=-0.72), TG (r=0.84), glucose (r=0.32), systolic blood pressure (r=0.22), and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.28).

    Conclusion: It indicated that AIP is associated with other CVD risk factors. Modification of lifestyle is strongly recommended.

  14. Chai SS, Cheah WL, Goh KL, Chang YHR, Sim KY, Chin KO
    Comput Math Methods Med, 2021;2021:2794888.
    PMID: 34917164 DOI: 10.1155/2021/2794888
    This study outlines and developed a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network model for adolescent hypertension classification focusing on the use of simple anthropometric and sociodemographic data collected from a cross-sectional research study in Sarawak, Malaysia. Among the 2,461 data collected, 741 were hypertensive (30.1%) and 1720 were normal (69.9%). During the data gathering process, eleven anthropometric measurements and sociodemographic data were collected. The variable selection procedure in the methodology proposed selected five parameters: weight, weight-to-height ratio (WHtR), age, sex, and ethnicity, as the input of the network model. The developed MLP model with a single hidden layer of 50 hidden neurons managed to achieve a sensitivity of 0.41, specificity of 0.91, precision of 0.65, F-score of 0.50, accuracy of 0.76, and Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve (AUC) of 0.75 using the imbalanced data set. Analyzing the performance metrics obtained from the training, validation and testing data sets show that the developed network model is well-generalized. Using Bayes' Theorem, an adolescent classified as hypertensive using this created model has a 66.2% likelihood of having hypertension in the Sarawak adolescent population, which has a hypertension prevalence of 30.1%. When the prevalence of hypertension in the Sarawak population was increased to 50%, the developed model could predict an adolescent having hypertension with an 82.0% chance, whereas when the prevalence of hypertension was reduced to 10%, the developed model could only predict true positive hypertension with a 33.6% chance. With the sensitivity of the model increasing to 65% and 90% while retaining a specificity of 91%, the true positivity of an adolescent being hypertension would be 75.7% and 81.2%, respectively, according to Bayes' Theorem. The findings show that simple anthropometric measurements paired with sociodemographic data are feasible to be used to classify hypertension in adolescents using the developed MLP model in Sarawak adolescent population with modest hypertension prevalence. However, a model with higher sensitivity and specificity is required for better positive hypertension predictive value when the prevalence is low. We conclude that the developed classification model could serve as a quick and easy preliminary warning tool for screening high-risk adolescents of developing hypertension.
  15. Cheah WL, Chang CT, Rosalia S, Charles LD, Yii SL, Tiong PH, et al.
    Malays J Med Sci, 2011 Jul;18(3):33-42.
    PMID: 22135599 MyJurnal
    BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity rates among adolescents have increased substantially over the years. This study aimed to determine the body mass index (BMI) of students and parents and the relationship among media use, BMI, socio-demographic profiles, and snacking behaviour during television watching of secondary school students in Kuching South City.
    METHODS: In accordance with the two-stage sampling method, a total of 316 adolescents aged 13-17 years from 7 secondary schools participated. Data were collected using questionnaire and anthropometric measurement. Independent t test, one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test were performed.
    RESULTS: The mean BMI was 20.56 kg/m(2) (SD 4.33) for boys and 20.15 kg/m(2) (SD 3.91) for girls. No significant difference in terms of z score for BMI-for-age or socio-demographic factors was found. The mean duration of time devoted to media use was 4.69 hours (SD 2.93) on weekdays and 5.69 hours (SD 2.87) on weekends. Boys were found to spend more hours on media use than did the girls (t = 4.293, P < 0.01). Respondents were reported to consume more cereal compared with soft drinks and junk foods. Respondents whose fathers worked in the private sector devoted the fewest hours to media use, whereas those with self-employed fathers devoted the most time to media use. Respondents with mothers who were employed spent more time on media use than did respondents whose mothers were housewives (F = 4.067, P < 0.01). No significant difference was found between BMI and media time or snacking habits.
    CONCLUSION: This finding indicated that media time has no effect on body weight, because respondents were found to have normal weight and to consume less unhealthy food.
    KEYWORDS: adolescent; behaviour; body mass index; public health; urban population
  16. Cheah WL, Law LS, Teh KH, Kam SL, Voon GEH, Lim HY, et al.
    Health Sci Rep, 2021 Sep;4(3):e362.
    PMID: 34466663 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.362
    Background and Aims: This study aimed to examine the quality of life (QoL) and health satisfaction of undergraduate university students in Sarawak during MCO and its association with socio-demographic profiles.

    Methods: In this cross-sectional study, QoL and satisfaction of health of 503 undergraduate university students (63.4% females) from a public university was assessed online using the World Health Organization QoL (WHOQOL)-BREF instrument.

    Results: The overall QoL and satisfaction with health were 3.7 ± 0.87 and 3.9 ± 0.82, respectively. Male students showed significantly lower mean scores for the environmental domains than female students (63.37 ± 16.21 vs 68.10 ± 14.00, P 

  17. Mallika PS, Lee PY, Cheah WL, Wong JS, Syed Alwi SAR, Nor Hayati H, et al.
    Malays Fam Physician, 2011;6(2):60-65.
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: This study reports on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and risk factors among diabetic patients, who underwent fundus photography screening in a primary care setting of Borneo Islands, East Malaysia. We aimed to explore the preliminary data to help in the planning of more effective preventive strategies of DR at the primary health care setting.
    Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 738 known diabetic patients aged 19-82 years was conducted in 2004. Eye examination consists of visual acuity testing followed by fundus photography for DR assessment. The fundus pictures were reviewed by a family physician and an ophthalmologist. Fundus photographs were graded as having no DR, NPDR, PDR and maculopathy. The data of other parameters was retrieved from patient’s record. Bi-variate and multivariate analysis was used to elucidate the factors associated with DR.
    Results: Any DR was detected in 23.7% (95% CI=21 to 27%) of the patients and 3.2% had proliferative DR. The risk factors associated with any DR was duration of DM (OR =2.5, CI=1.6 to 3.9 for duration of five to 10 years when compared to <5 years) and lower BMI (OR=1.8, CI=1.1 to 3.0). Moderate visual loss was associated with DR (OR=2.1, CI=1.2 to 3.7).
    Conclusions: This study confirms associations of DR with diabetic duration, body mass index and visual loss. Our data provide preliminary findings to help to improve the screening and preventive strategies of DR at the primary health care setting.
    Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy, epidemiology, screening, primary health care, Malaysia
    Study site: Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Masjid, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
  18. Cheah WL, Law LS, Samy AL, Chua BS, Siau CS, Fitriana M, et al.
    Psychol Health Med, 2023 Jan;28(1):189-199.
    PMID: 35437088 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2063351
    The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the well-being of individuals worldwide. Due to the scarcity of information in the Malaysian context, this study aimed at investigating the changes in well-being before and during the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia and its association with mental health status. This cross-sectional study was part of a Malaysian non-probabilistic online survey on psychosocial well-being in Malaysia, under the Personal and Family Coping with COVID-19 Global South Research Consortium. A total of 543 respondents (≥18 years old) were recruited using snowball sampling. A validated self-administered questionnaire for assessing sociodemographic characteristics, well-being, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness was circulated on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp) and emails. Paired samples t-test, chi-square test, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were applied during data analysis. Results revealed significant changes in the mean scores of well-being, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness before and during MCO (p 
  19. Cheah WL, Law LS, Adibah Z, Nur Afiqah MS, Nur Aiennie L, Nik Noor Arba'iyah NH, et al.
    PMID: 36992961 DOI: 10.51866/oa.121
    INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 Movement Control Order (MCO) has caused a concern on the food consumption among university students. This study aimed to assess food diversity and its relationship with accommodation among university students in Sarawak.

    METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of the University Malaysia Sarawak in Kota Samarahan during the MCO. Data on socio-demographic characteristics and food diversity were collected using an online questionnaire.

    RESULTS: A total of 478 respondents participated in this study. The majority of the respondents were women (77.4%), and almost half were Malays (49.6%). Half of the respondents stayed at home with their family, while 36.4% stayed in their college dormitories. Except for legumes, nuts and seeds and milk and milk products, all other food groups were common in the respondents' diet, with the highest consumption observed from cereal and cereal products, followed by meat and meat products and water. One-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in the intake of fish and seafood; legumes, nuts and seeds; milk and milk products; and fruits between those who stayed in college dormitories, at home with their families and in rented houses (P<0.01).

    CONCLUSION: Despite reduction in food availability and accessibility, the total energy intake of the university students did not change. University students should be continuously educated on the importance of a balanced diet consisting of all food groups.

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