METHODS: A case-control study was conducted by interviewing 350 women who were admitted to the university gynaecological unit for spontaneous abortion and 350 women who delivered normally at the university obstetric unit. Odds ratios, as the estimators of relative risks, were calculated.
RESULTS: The relative risk for spontaneous abortion among women in the age-group 30 to 39 years was 1.61 and among women above 40 years of age was 3.68 when compared to those below 30 years of age. In relation to career women, the relative risk of spontaneous abortion for housewives was 0.45. Ethnic group, parity, subfertility, previous induced abortion, ectopic pregnancy, contraception and menarcheal age did not influence the risk of spontaneous abortion.
CONCLUSION: Increasing age and a woman's career are significant risk factors of spontaneous abortion.
DESIGN: Prospective data collection for selected patients.
SETTING: High risk pregnancy unit of a teaching hospital.
SUBJECTS: Group 1 consisted of 18 healthy women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. Group 2 consisted of 27 women admitted to the high risk pregnancy unit over a 9 month period with intrauterine growth retardation and other related problems; all these women were delivered by prelabour caesarean section.
INTERVENTION: Serial Duplex sonography to determine fetal MCA PI in Groups 1 and 2. Serial FHR analysis using computerised numerical techniques in Group 2 only.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serial MCA PI values from 24 to 39 completed weeks of gestation in Group 1. Comparison of serial MCA PI values with FHR analysis in relation to fetal outcome in Group 2.
RESULTS: In Group 1 the MCA PI diminished significantly as gestation advanced from 1.73 (SD 0.25) at 24 weeks to 1.38 (SD 0.26) at 39 weeks (P < 0.01). In Group 2 eleven babies were hypoxaemic at delivery: all had low MCA PI values while only nine had an abnormal FHR prior to delivery.
CONCLUSION: In normal pregnancy, there is a fall in the fetal MCA PI with advancing gestation which probably reflects a decreasing vascular resistance to fetal cerebral blood flow. Hypoxaemia at delivery appeared to be better recognised by the fetal MCA flow velocity waveform than the FHR analysis. This increased sensitivity, however, was achieved at the expense of a reduced specificity. Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings of this preliminary investigation.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 83 breast cancer survivors was carried out in two main government referral hospitals in the region. Participants wore the ActivPAL3™ microdevice physical activity monitor for seven consecutive days. The validated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Breast Cancer Supplementary Measure (EORTC QLQ-BR23) were used to measure their HRQoL. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour with HRQoL.
RESULTS: Longer time spent on moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was significantly associated with an improvement of HRQoL (p = 0.039) whereas longer time spent on sedentary behaviour significantly reduced the functioning score (p = 0.005). In addition, prolonged sedentary bouts were also significantly associated with better body image that led to improved HRQoL (p = 0.013).
CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that an increase in the time spent on MVPA was associated with improved HRQoL while sedentary behaviour was associated with poorer HRQoL among breast cancer survivors. Thus, it is essential to displace sedentary behaviour with MVPA to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study will assess community member and community health volunteer knowledge, attitudes, and practices on noncommunicable disease prevention, risk factors, and health-seeking behavior in three geographical areas of Kuala Lumpur, each representing a different ethnicity (Malay, Indian, and Chinese). Assessment will take place before and after a 9-month intervention period, comparing intervention areas with matched control geographies. We plan to engage 2880 community members and 45 community health volunteers across the six geographic areas. A digital health needs assessment will inform modification of digital health tools to support project aims. Intervention co-creation will use a discrete choice experiment to identify community preferences among evidence-based intervention options, building from data collected on community knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Community health volunteers will work with local businesses and other stakeholders to effect change in obesogenic environments and NCD risk. The study has been approved by the Malaysian Ministry of Health Medical Research Ethical Committee.
Discussion: The Better Health Programme Malaysia anticipates a bottom-up approach that relies on community health volunteers collaborating with local businesses to implement activities that address obesogenic environments and improve community knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to NCD risk. The planned co-creation process will determine which interventions will be most locally relevant, feasible, and needed. The effort aims to empower community members and community health volunteers to drive change that improves their own health and wellbeing. The learnings can be useful nationally and sub-nationally in Malaysia, as well as across similar settings that are working with community stakeholders to reduce noncommunicable disease risk.
Trial registration: National Medical Research Register, Malaysia; NMRR-20-1004-54787 (IIR); July 7, 2020.