MyMedR

Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 101 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Improving understanding of disease control implementation research through a mooc with participants from low- and middle-income countries: Evaluating participant reactions and learning

Nwameme A, Dako-Gyeke P, Asampong E, Allotey P, Reidpath DD, Certain E, et al.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2023 Mar;17(3):e0011139.
PMID: 36961830 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011139

The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases developed a massive open online course (MOOC) on implementation research with a focus on infectious diseases of poverty (IDPs) to reinforce the explanation of implementation research concepts through real case studies. The target MOOC participant group included public health officers, researchers and students. By reshaping institutions and building resilience in communities and systems, implementation research will allow progress towards universal health coverage and sustainable development goals. This study evaluates learners' knowledge in implementation research after completing the MOOC using anonymous exit survey responses. Of the almost 4000 enrolled in the two sessions of the MOOC in 2018, about 30% completed all five modules and the assessments, and were awarded certificates. The majority of the participants were early to mid-career professionals, under the age of 40, and from low- and middle-income countries. They were slightly more likely to be men (56%) with a Bachelor or a Master's degree. Participants were public health researchers (45%), public health officers (11%) or students (11%). On completion of the course, an exit survey revealed that 80.9% of respondents indicated significant improvement to strong and very strong implementation research knowledge. This evaluation clearly shows the usefulness of the MOOC on implementation research for reaching out to field researchers and public health practitioners who are facing problems in the implementation of control programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
Fulltext Validity of self-measured waist and hip circumferences: results from a community study in Malaysia

Reidpath DD, Cheah JC, Lam FC, Yasin S, Soyiri I, Allotey P

Nutr J, 2013;12:135.
PMID: 24093886 DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-12-135

BACKGROUND: Measures of central adiposity are better predictors of adverse health events than BMI. Nonetheless, BMI is more widely used in health research. One reason for this may be the limited research supporting the self-measurement of waist and hip circumference. The lack of validity studies is particularly acute in Asia. The main objective was to establish the validity of self-measurement of waist and hip circumference in a community setting and the correlation of those measures with BMI, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels.
METHODS: A community based, cross-sectional survey. A "healthy living expo" at a shopping mall in a rural town on peninsular Malaysia One hundred and thirty six (136) individuals volunteered to participate in the study, 125 of whom met the inclusion criteria. The ethnic distribution of the participants was 80% Chinese, 17% Malay and 3% Indian. Most participants were female (60%), with participants' ages ranging from 18 to 78 years (mean, 47.2). Self and assisted measurements of waist and hip were taken. Blood pressure, non-fasting blood glucose, height, and weight were also measured. Bland Altman plots and Lin's concordance coefficient were used to measure agreement between self and assisted measures. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the association of self and assisted measures with blood pressure, blood glucose, and BMI.
RESULTS: There was a downwards bias in self measured waist (-0.81 cm) and hip (-1 cm) circumferences compared with assisted measures. The concordance for the self and assisted measures of waist, hip and the ratio of the two were, respectively, .96, .93 , and .84. The correlation between measures of central adiposity and BMI, blood pressure and blood glucose were similar for self and assisted measures.
CONCLUSION: The results provide additional support for the use of self-measurement of waist and hip circumference studies of central adiposity, but is limited by the specificity of the setting.
The relationship between age of smoking initiation and current smoking: an analysis of school surveys in three European countries

Reidpath DD, Ling ML, Wellington E, Al-Sadat N, Yasin S

Nicotine Tob Res, 2013 Mar;15(3):729-33.
PMID: 22990215 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nts177

INTRODUCTION: It is held that younger smoking initiates are more likely to become regular smokers. The definitions of smoking initiation (a puff, part of a cigarette, a whole cigarette) are inconsistent and raise questions about the robustness of the view. We sought to re-examine the relationship using adolescent smoking data from 3 European countries.
METHODS: A stratified secondary, logistic regression analysis of Global Youth Tobacco Survey data was conducted using a design-based analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted of 13- to 15-year olds from Latvia (high smoking prevalence), Slovenia (moderate prevalence), and Montenegro (low prevalence) who had initiated smoking. The outcome was current smoking--smoking everyday for the past 30 days, or smoking 10 or more days in the past 30 days. Smoking initiation was operationalized as a single puff of a cigarette, and age of smoking initiation was a derived continuous measure.
RESULTS: In Latvia, there was a significant association between age of smoking initiation and current smoking for males (p < .05) and females (p < .001) when smoking was operationalized as smoking every day. It was only significant in female adolescents (p < .001) for smoking 10 or more days. In Slovenia and Montenegro, there was no significant relationship between age of smoking initiation and current smoking for either males or females.
CONCLUSIONS: The evidence about the relationship between age of smoking initiation and current smoking is not clear. Explanations for the findings may relate to a lack of power, the specificity of the measure, or problems with the theory.
Accessing palliative care for multiple sclerosis: A qualitative study of a neglected neurological disease

Cheong WL, Mohan D, Warren N, Reidpath DD

Mult Scler Relat Disord, 2019 Oct;35:86-91.
PMID: 31357123 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2019.07.009

BACKGROUND: Despite the global consensus on the importance of palliative care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), many patients in developing countries do not receive palliative care. Improving access to palliative care for MS requires a contextual understanding of how palliative care is perceived by patients and health professionals, the existing care pathways, and barriers to the provision of palliative care.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine and contrast the perceptions of MS patients, neurologists, and palliative care physicians towards providing palliative care for patients with MS in Malaysia.
METHODS: 12 MS patients, 5 neurologists, and 5 palliative care physicians participated in this qualitative study. Each participant took part in a semi-structured interview. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using an iterative thematic analysis approach.
RESULTS: Patients and neurologists mostly associated palliative care with the end-of-life and struggled to understand the need for palliative care in MS. Another barrier was the lack of understanding about the palliative care needs of MS patients. Palliative care physicians also identified the scarcity of resources and their lack of experience with MS as barriers. The current referral-based care pathway itself was found to be a barrier to the provision of palliative care.
CONCLUSIONS: MS patients in Malaysia face several barriers in accessing palliative care. Overcoming these barriers will require improving the shared understanding of palliative care and its role in MS. The existing care pathway also needs to be reformed to ensure that it improves access to palliative care for MS patients.
Response to de Groot 'There is an urgent need for palliative care specialists in MS - Commentary'

Cheong WL, Mohan D, Warren N, Reidpath DD

Mult Scler, 2019 11;25(13):1821-1822.
PMID: 31517592 DOI: 10.1177/1352458519876697
Dentists should be at the forefront in the fight against sugar

Masood M, Masood Y, Reidpath DD, Newton T

Lancet, 2014 Jun 14;383(9934):2046.
PMID: 24931691 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60996-X
Rethinking health-care systems: a focus on chronicity

Allotey P, Reidpath DD, Yasin S, Chan CK, de-Graft Aikins A

Lancet, 2011 Feb 5;377(9764):450-1.
PMID: 21074257 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61856-9
Undoing supremacy in global health will require more than decolonisation

Allotey P, Reidpath DD

Lancet, 2021 03 20;397(10279):1058.
PMID: 33743860 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00379-2
Equity in decline: fair distribution in a worse-off world

Reidpath DD, Gruskin S, Khosla R, Dakessian A, Allotey P

Lancet, 2023 Sep 16;402(10406):943-945.
PMID: 37392750 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01304-1
Fulltext Statin Treatment and Clinical Outcomes of Heart Failure Among Africans: An Inverse Probability Treatment Weighted Analysis

Bonsu KO, Owusu IK, Buabeng KO, Reidpath DD, Kadirvelu A

J Am Heart Assoc, 2017 Apr 01;6(4).
PMID: 28365564 DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.116.004706

BACKGROUND: Randomized control trials of statins have not demonstrated significant benefits in outcomes of heart failure (HF). However, randomized control trials may not always be generalizable. The aim was to determine whether statin and statin type-lipophilic or -hydrophilic improve long-term outcomes in Africans with HF.
METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a retrospective longitudinal study of HF patients aged ≥18 years hospitalized at a tertiary healthcare center between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 in Ghana. Patients were eligible if they were discharged from first admission for HF (index admission) and followed up to time of all-cause, cardiovascular, and HF mortality or end of study. Multivariable time-dependent Cox model and inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting of marginal structural model were used to estimate associations between statin treatment and outcomes. Adjusted hazard ratios were also estimated for lipophilic and hydrophilic statin compared with no statin use. The study included 1488 patients (mean age 60.3±14.2 years) with 9306 person-years of observation. Using the time-dependent Cox model, the 5-year adjusted hazard ratios with 95% CI for statin treatment on all-cause, cardiovascular, and HF mortality were 0.68 (0.55-0.83), 0.67 (0.54-0.82), and 0.63 (0.51-0.79), respectively. Use of inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting resulted in estimates of 0.79 (0.65-0.96), 0.77 (0.63-0.96), and 0.77 (0.61-0.95) for statin treatment on all-cause, cardiovascular, and HF mortality, respectively, compared with no statin use.
CONCLUSIONS: Among Africans with HF, statin treatment was associated with significant reduction in mortality.
Religiousness and Quality of Life Among Older Adults of Different Ethnic Groups in Malaysia: A Five-Year Follow-up Study

Tan MM, Reidpath DD, Ting RS, Allotey P, Su TT

J Relig Health, 2021 Jul 29.
PMID: 34324099 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01371-x

Research has shown that religion is associated with a better quality of life (QoL). This study aims to examine ethnic differences in the association between religion and the QoL of older adults in a predominantly Muslim population within a multicultural setting. Two-wave data of 3,810 participants consisting of mostly Muslims and older adults aged ≥ 55 years were collected as part of the community health surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018 in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO). Both cross-sectional analyses of baseline data and prospective analyses of longitudinal data were conducted. The associations between religiosity and quality of life were mainly positive in the cross-sectional analysis. In the two-wave analysis, religious importance was negatively associated with QoL among the Malays (B = - 1.103, SE B = 0.029, p
Does the social gradient remain in the dietary habits of a health-conscious population? A study of Seventh-Day Adventists in West Malaysia

Tan MM, Chan CKY, Reidpath DD

J Public Health (Oxf), 2017 Dec 01;39(4):e179-e185.
PMID: 27738128 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdw109

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is a strong predictor of health, and individuals with higher SES generally have better health than those with lower SES. One of the pathways that SES influences health is through health behaviors, such as dietary intake, and a higher SES has been associated with a better diet. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a social gradient in dietary habits among the Seventh-Day Adventists, a group of conservative Christians, where healthy eating is part of the doctrinal teaching.
Methods: Data from a survey of 574 Adventists residing in West Malaysia, aged 18-80 years, were analyzed. Dietary habits were measured using the Nutrition subscale of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II.
Results: Education and income were significantly associated with dietary habits before and after controlling for demographics. There was a gradient of association; a higher level of education and higher income were associated with better dietary habits. However, only education remained significantly associated with dietary habits when the other two socioeconomic variables were included. Employment was not significantly associated with dietary habits before or after controlling for demographic variables and the other two sociodemographic variables.
Conclusions: This study showed that education is the strongest predictor of healthy diet, and a social gradient in dietary habits still exists even among health-conscious population.
Palliative Care Research in the Asia Pacific Region: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publications

Cheong WL, Mohan D, Warren N, Reidpath DD

J Palliat Med, 2019 May;22(5):545-552.
PMID: 30570416 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0447

Background:
The state of palliative care research is closely linked to the development of palliative care services in a country or region.
Objective:
To systematically review the current state of palliative care research in the Asia Pacific region and analyze its relationship with the performance of each country in the region on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2015 Quality of Death Index.
Design:
Systematic review and bibliographic analysis in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol 2015 (PRISMA-P).
Data Sources:
The PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and PsychiNFO databases were searched on February 4, 2018.
Results:
One thousand six hundred sixty-seven articles were reviewed. Eighteen out of 32 countries in the region published research. Around 74.15% (1236) of the articles were produced by high-income countries. Research output (articles per 1 m population) was closely linked to country performance on the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2015 Quality of Death Index (adjusted R2= 0.85). Palliative care research in the region is overwhelmingly focused on cancer (80.13% of articles reviewed). The most common themes of research were "palliative care service (24.45%)" and "clinical" (15.38%).
Conclusions:
Palliative care research in the region is growing but remains largely centered on the high-income countries, with many low- and middle-income countries having little published research output. Much work is required to drive research in these countries to generate the evidence required for the development of palliative care services. The emphasis on cancer in research also indicates that the needs of patients suffering from noncancer-related diseases may be neglected.
Fulltext Is the right to health compatible with sustainability?

Reidpath DD, Gruskin S, Allotey P

J Glob Health, 2015 Jun;5(1):010301.
PMID: 25734001 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.05.010301
Fulltext The burden is great and the money little: Changing chronic disease management in low- and middle-income countries

Reidpath DD, Allotey P

J Glob Health, 2012 Dec;2(2):020301.
PMID: 23289072 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.02.020301
Fulltext Tackling dementia globally: the Global Dementia Prevention Program (GloDePP) collaboration

Chan KY, Adeloye D, Asante KP, Calia C, Campbell H, Danso SO, et al.

J Glob Health, 2019 Dec;9(2):020103.
PMID: 31893025 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.09.020103
Religiosity, dietary habit, intake of fruit and vegetable, and vegetarian status among Seventh-Day Adventists in West Malaysia

Tan MM, Chan CK, Reidpath DD

J Behav Med, 2016 08;39(4):675-86.
PMID: 27010212 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-016-9736-8

Religion has been shown to be salutary on health, and a possible link between religion and positive health outcomes is diet. Research has shown that religiosity is associated with better diet but most studies were conducted in a multi-denominational context, which might be confounded with theological differences. This study examined the relationship between religiosity and diet within a homogenous group of believers. Data from survey of 574 Seventh-Day Adventists residing in West Malaysia, aged 18-80, were analyzed using multiple regressions. While none of the religious variables were significantly associated with fruit and vegetable intake, a higher level of religiosity was associated with a better dietary habit and vegetarian status. The mixed relationship between religiosity and diet suggest that further research is needed to explore how religion might influence the diet of adherents.
Fulltext Effects of Subjective Memory Complaints (SMCs) and Social Capital on Self-Rated Health (SRH) in a Semirural Malaysian Population

Yap KH, Mohan D, Stephan BCM, Warren N, Allotey P, Reidpath DD

J Aging Res, 2019;2019:9151802.
PMID: 31093373 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9151802

Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and social capital were known to be related to self-rated health (SRH). Despite this, no studies have examined the potential interaction of SMC and social capital on SRH. Using data from a cross-sectional health survey of men and women aged 56 years and above (n = 6,421), we examined how SMCs and social capital explained SRH in a population of community-dwelling older adults in a semirural area in Malaysia. We also evaluated whether SRH's relationship with SMCs is moderated by social capital. The association of SMC and social capital with poor SRH was investigated using multivariable logistic regression. Social capital (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.82-0.89), mild SMC (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.50-1.94), and moderate SMC (OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.63-2.20) were found to be associated with poor SRH after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and depression in the initial regression model. SMC was found to have partial interaction effects with social capital which was included in the subsequent regression model. Unlike individuals with no SMC and mild SMC, those who reported moderate SMC did not show decreasing probabilities of poor SRH despite increasing levels of social capital. Nevertheless, this analysis suggests that social capital and SMC are independent predictors of poor SRH. Further research needs to be targeted at improving the understanding on how social capital and SMC moderate and interact with the perception of health in older adults.
Sex differences in stroke metrics among Southeast Asian countries: Results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Hwong WY, Bots ML, Selvarajah S, Sivasampu S, Reidpath DD, Law WC, et al.

Int J Stroke, 2019 10;14(8):826-834.
PMID: 30843480 DOI: 10.1177/1747493019832995

BACKGROUND: Sex differences in cardiovascular diseases generally disadvantage women, particularly within developing regions.
AIMS: This study aims to examine sex-related differences in stroke metrics across Southeast Asia in 2015. Furthermore, relative changes between sexes are compared from 1990 to 2015.
METHODS: Data were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease Study. Incidence and mortality from ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were explored with the following statistics derived: (1) women-to-men incidence/mortality ratio and (2) relative percentage change in rate.
RESULTS: Women had lower incidence and mortality from stroke compared to men. Notable findings include higher ischemic stroke incidence for women at 30-34 years in high-income countries (women-to-men ratio: 1.3, 95% CI: 0.1, 16.2 in Brunei and 1.3, 95% CI: 0.5, 3.2 in Singapore) and the largest difference between sexes for ischemic stroke mortality in Vietnam and Myanmar across most ages. Within the last 25 years, greater reductions for ischemic stroke metrics were observed among women compared to men. Nevertheless, women below 40 years in some countries showed an increase in ischemic stroke incidence between 0.5% and 11.4%, whereas in men, a decline from -4.2% to -44.2%. Indonesia reported the largest difference between sexes for ischemic stroke mortality; a reduction for women whereas an increase in men. For hemorrhagic stroke, findings were similar: higher incidence among young women in high-income countries and greater reductions for stroke metrics in women than men over the last 25 years.
CONCLUSIONS: Distinct sex-specific differences observed across Southeast Asia should be accounted in future stroke preventive guidelines.
Fulltext Interpretations of self-rated health in stroke survivors from a semi-rural community in South East Asia

Yap KH, Warren N, Reidpath DD, Allotey P

Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being, 2019 Dec;14(1):1613875.
PMID: 31120385 DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2019.1613875

Purpose: Stroke survivors report poorer self-rated health (SRH) compared to the general population but there is limited understanding on what contributes to SRH. This ethnographic study examined the individual and contextual factors that shape stroke survivors' SRH in a rural middle income country situated in South East Asia. Methods: Ethnographic methods which encompasses various data collection methods from different data sources were used in this study to describe the socio-cultural context of 16 stroke survivors living in a rural village. Within this context, the experiences of these participants were then interpreted in terms of what contributed to their perception of health and recovery, juxtaposed with objectively measure physical and cognitive states. Results: SRH reflected the post stroke adjustment of stroke survivors. Better SRH was influenced by good post-stroke adjustment that was achieved by a combination of physical functioning, cognitive functioning, emotional well-being and family support. Poorer SRH appear to reflect poor post-stroke adjustment regardless of the objective physical and cognitive states of the stroke survivors. It was also observed that cognitive deficits, though its presence was acknowledged by participants, were usually not taken into account when rating SRH. However, while physical functioning was perceived by participants to directly impact SRH, the presence of cognitive deficits (often in tandem with depressive symptoms) indirectly complicated the recovery of physical functions treasured by participants. Conclusion: Stroke survivors reporting poorer SRH warrant further attention and intervention from health practitioners supporting the longer-term needs of stroke survivors in similar settings.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links