Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common musculoskeletal condition that leads to decreased physical performance and falls among older adults. However, there is limited information comparing physical performances among older adult fallers with and without knee OA. The aim of this study was to compare physical performance between older adult fallers with and without knee OA. Participants were divided into two groups using the clinical diagnosis of knee OA based on National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidelines; with and without knee OA. Participants performed a battery of physical performance tests that included chair sit and reach, back scratch, dominant handgrip strength, timed up and go (TUG), 30 seconds chair stand and 2 min walk. Independent t-test was used to compare physical performance between groups. Thirteen older adult fallers with knee OA (mean age = 70.92 ± 8.83 years) and 20 older adult fallers without knee OA (76.4 ± 7.92 years) participated in this study. There were no significant differences in sociodemographic profiles and physical performance among older adult fallers with and without knee OA (p > 0.05). However, hamstring flexibility was not within norm in 64% of older adult fallers with knee OA compared to 42% without OA. Physical performance between fallers with and without clinically diagnosed knee OA was similar. Hence, physiotherapy interventions for both groups may be similar and focused on strength and endurance training. In addition, to minimize falls risk and further improve physical performance, hamstring stretching must be emphasized among older adults with knee OA.
Evaluation of pre-qualifying interprofessional education (IPE) programmes is important in exploring its effectiveness. The University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE IPQ) has been rigorously validated, yet few studies using this tool have been published. We aimed to explore the attitudes of final year allied health profession (AHP), midwifery and nursing students towards IPE in this study. Differences between students’ attitudes towards IPE according to gender, undergraduate programmes, academic background and experience were also explored. A total of 103 participants, AHP (n = 10), midwifery (n = 19) and nursing (n = 74) students took part in the study. This study design used a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, and was conducted within the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton. The validated UWE IPQ was administered to a volunteer sample of final year AHP, nursing and midwifery students in June 2010. Findings revealed that majority of the students rated their communication and teamwork skills (76.7%), interprofessional learning (74.8%) and interprofessional relationships (92.2%) positively, but they held negative attitudes towards interprofessional interactions (69.9%). Significant differences were found between participants’ attitudes towards interprofessional learning in relation to undergraduate programmes (p = 0.01) and prior working experience in health and social care (p = 0.03). IPE has shaped the students’ views regarding their collaborative learning and teamwork. Therefore, introducing IPE initiative from the beginning of the pre-qualifying stage at universities would motivate them to become interprofessional collaborative-ready professionals.
Despite being becoming popular and heavily used in rehabilitation, the evidence on the effectiveness of Virtual reality-based therapy (VRBT) among persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA) remains limited. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of VRBT on walking endurance and quality of life of older persons with knee OA in comparison to conventional exercise therapy. This was a randomised controlled trial involving 44 participants (mean age and standard deviation = 66.32 ± 5.73 years) who received either a VRBT (experimental group, n = 22) or a conventional exercise therapy (control group, n = 22) for 45 minutes, twice per week for 12 weeks. The outcome of both therapies on walking endurance was measured using Six-Minute Walk Test (6 MWT), while quality of life was assessed using the Malay-version of Short Form-36 (SF-36). Analysis was done by ‘intention-to-treat’ approach, using Mixed Model ANOVA. A significant time-effect (p < 0.05), with large effect size between 0.43 and 0.54 were found for all outcomes following the therapies. An increase of 17% and 19% of 6 MWT scores were obtained in experimental and control group, respectively. Meanwhile, the scores for the physical and mental components of the SF-36 increased by 37.8% and 19.4% in the experimental group, and 45.7% and 20.6% in the control group. However, no significant group and interaction effects were found for all outcomes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, VRBT is comparable with conventional exercise therapy in improving walking endurance and quality of life of persons with knee OA, and can be used as a therapy option for this population.
Children with dyslexia are commonly associated with gross motor difficulties. However, this non-literacy symptom is often overlooked as an important feature of dyslexia. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine gross motor skills status among children with dyslexia and to compare the gross motor skills between younger and older children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on children with dyslexia from government schools and Dyslexia Association Malaysia. The participants were divided into two groups, namely younger (4 to 10 years) and older children (11 to 17 years old), and were recruited randomly. The gross motor skills were measured using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) (subtests: Body Coordination, and, Strength and Agility) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2) (subtest: Aiming and Catching). Standard scores and percentile rankings were used for statistical analysis. A total of 82 children with dyslexia were recruited for this study, consisted of younger (n = 57) and older groups of children (n = 25). The younger children were found to have a significantly lower performance in gross motor skills in Body Coordination (Mdn = 48, IQR = 26-63), compared to the older children, (Mdn = 54, IQR = 30-77), with a small effect size (r = -.25). There were no significant different for other findings. The older children were found to demonstrate the highest level of gross motor skills. This study may suggest the need for an early intervention program for young age children with dyslexia. Future studies that assess gross motor skills using longitudinal design are recommended to investigate the changes in gross motor performance over time.
The development of writing ability is not only important in building a child’s self-esteem, but also essential for academic success in school. Handwriting is an important skill that could affect students’ performance in most academic areas. This study aimed to review the effect of occupational therapy intervention in improving handwriting skills among preschool children. Relevant studies were systematically searched by using standardized keywords across three databases. The initial search identified 1,386 references. Of these studies, there were five quantitative studies that met the inclusion criteria and were methodologically appraised using the McMaster Critical Review Form–Quantitative Studies. All studies reported that preschool children with or without disabilities showed significant improvements in handwriting skills after receiving occupational therapy intervention. One study involved collaboration between teachers and occupational therapists in implementing intervention program to preschool students. Collaboration between teachers and occupational therapists was able to provide teachers with tools and skills that they can use to help students, with or without direct presence of occupational therapists. Overall, findings of this review indicated that preschool children could gain improvement in handwriting skills regardless of their conditions after receiving occupational therapy intervention programs.
Older adults who fall recurrently have sub-optimal physical performance especially muscle strength, mobility and balance. Recurrent falls lead to a heightened fear of falls. However, there is limited information regarding other domains of physical performance, namely flexibility and endurance. In addition, there is still limited knowledge pertaining fear of falls and physical activity levels among Malaysian community-dwelling older adults who are recurrent fallers. The aim of our study was to compare fear of falls, physical performance and physical activity levels among older adults with falls and recurrent falls. This cross- sectional study was carried out in two Malaysian urban districts. Physical performance was examined using Functional Fitness MOT (FFMOT). Modified Baecke Questionnaire and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC-6) Scale were administered to evaluate the level of daily physical activity and fear of falls respectively. A total of 35 older adults participated in this study, 20 fallers (mean age: 71.95±8.22) and 15 recurrent fallers (mean age: 76.73±8.82) respectively. Our study results showed that older adults with recurrent falls had significantly reduced lower extremity strength, dynamic balance, endurance, balance confidence in activities of daily living and physical activity levels compared to faller group (p < 0.05). Although flexibility and upper limb strength were not significantly different among fallers and recurrent fallers, overall improvement in physical performance should be targetted in falls prevention and management. This is vital to prevent further deterioration in physical performance among older adults with recurrent falls.
Kajian terdahulu menunjukkan kualiti hidup dapat ditingkatkan melalui amalan keagamaan dan kerohanian. Hafazan al-Quran merupakan amalan keagamaan dan kerohanian yang memperkasa aspek mental dan fizikal. Namun, kajian saintifik yang mengaitkan hafazan al-Quran dengan kualiti hidup masih terhad terutamanya dalam konteks pelajar tahfiz. Maka, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti hubungan antara hafazan al-Quran dengan kualiti hidup dalam kalangan pelajar tahfiz di Selangor, Malaysia. Satu kajian keratan rentas telah dijalankan ke atas 116 pelajar dengan pensampelan rawak berstrata dari tiga buah sekolah tahfiz di Selangor. Pelajar tahfiz dikategorikan kepada tiga tahap hafazan berdasarkan jumlah juzuk yang telah dihafaz iaitu Tahap 1 (1-10 juzuk), Tahap 2 (11-20 juzuk) dan Tahap 3 (21-30 juzuk). Borang soal selidik telah digunakan untuk mendapatkan data sosiodemografi dan borang soal selidik Short Form-36 Quality of Life (SF-36) versi Bahasa Malaysia telah digunakan untuk menilai tahap kualiti hidup. Data telah dianalisa menggunakan SPSS versi 23.0. Hasil kajian mendapati wujud hubungan positif yang signifikan antara hafazan al-Quran dengan kesihatan fizikal (r = 0.300, p < 0.05) dan kesihatan mental (r = 0.194, p < 0.05). Ini jelas menunjukkan bahawa semakin banyak pelajar menghafaz al-Quran semakin tinggi tahap kualiti hidup mereka. Faktor yang mempengaruhi kesihatan mental dan fizikal adalah jumlah muka surat hafazan. Kesimpulannya, hafazan al-Quran berpotensi meningkatkan kualiti hidup serta kesihatan mental dan fizikal pelajar tahfiz.
Histological observation has always been important in the study of sentinels. In this research, histological differences in the liver and kidney of two wild populations of Fejervarya limnocharis exposed to different environmental cadmium levels were observed. Liver and kidney samples from 30 rice frogs caught from reference site (Mae Pa) and contaminated site (Mae Tao) were sectioned and stained with Haemotoxylin and Eosin and then observed under light microscope. It was found that liver sections from frogs caught from Mae Tao had higher hepatic macro-melanophage count (MMC) (0.949 ± 0.267 cells/1000 μm2) as compared to those from Mae Pa (0.672 ± 0.299 cells/1000 μm2). Other observable histological features found in frog’s liver from Mae Tao include possible necrotic areas, cellular swellings and chromatin margination. The kidney sections from frogs caught from Mae Tao showed the presence of tumor-like cell aggregation and hemorrhage. However, the proportion of tumor-like cell aggregation and hemorrhage were not significantly different than were expected from random occurrences. The result of the histological study revealed that F. limnocharis caught from Mae Tao had higher hepatic MMC and higher prevalence of renal tumor-like aggregation and renal hemorrhage than the rice frogs caught from Mae Pa. Cellular swelling, possible necrotic area and possible apoptotic cell could also be observed in the liver of contaminated frogs.
Global prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity have increased drastically in the past years, including in Malaysia. School-based obesity intervention is important to promote healthy eating and behavioural change. Many obesity interventions have been conducted to combat childhood obesity; however, the sustainability of childhood obesity interventions are often overlooked. This study aimed to explore the factors that influenced sustainability of Juara Sihat intervention programme in Kuala Lumpur primary school. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 children aged 12- 14 years old whom participated in the Juara Sihat intervention programme were purposively selected. Data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. The main themes identified as motivators are (1) support from family, facilitators, school teachers, and friends; (2) physical activity and healthy eating practices after intervention; (3) self-awareness; (4) knowledge on food pyramid and healthy eating; and (5) home environment. While the barriers are (1) knowledge inconsistency; (2) own safety; (3) peers influence; (4) self-attitude; (5) boredom towards programme. The results showed that the main promoting factor for sustainability of Juara Sihat intervention programme is continued practice of physical activity and healthy eating, while the main barrier is knowledge inconsistency. Therefore, school-based obesity intervention programmes should consider these promoting and hindering factors that could influence the sustainability of intervention programmes. Future studies should consider those factors during program intervention planning especially when factors that influence implementation and sustainability are carefully considered and taken care of to ensure long-term success.
Involvement of informal carer in post-stroke care is important to prevent development of secondary complications particularly among stroke survivors with severe disability. However, to date, evidence on the benefit of stroke care training and involving carer to assist in the care for this group of stroke survivors is still limited. In this study, we evaluated the outcome of a carer-assisted care program for stroke survivors with severe disability who live at home. Sixteen stroke survivors with severe disability and 16 primary carers participated in this pre-test post-test intervention study. Carers were trained using a stroke care module which was developed by a group of multidisciplinary researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, prior to implementing the daily care for 8 weeks. Outcome of care on stroke survivors was assessed in term of change in disability level and quality of life using Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and EuroQol health-state measure (EQ-5D and EQ-VAS), respectively. While outcome of stroke care training on carer was determined using Modified
Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI). Significant improvement is shown in the stroke survivors’ EQ-VAS component of EuroQol health state measure (average increase by 12%, t = 2.86, p = 0.01) following the care. Although not statistically significant (t = 0.97; p = 0.35), the mean score of MCSI reduced by 14%. No significant change was found in the MBI of the stroke survivors at completion of the program. Carer-assisted care is useful in improving quality of life of stroke survivors and can potentially reduce stress level among carers. Larger study may assist in establishing these preliminary findings.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer commonly used in processed food to increase palatability. Several studies have reported that chronic exposure of MSG causes renal fibrosis via oxidative stress mechanism. However, till date, the effects of low dose of MSG on the oxidative stress status and its histopathological observation of renal are still unclear. A total of 18 male Sprague Dawley rats (170 – 200 g) were divided randomly into three groups consisted of the control (received distilled water = 1 ml/kg), MSG 60 (received 60 mg/kg MSG) and MSG 120 (received 120 mg/kg MSG) groups. All of the substances were given via force-feed oral for 28 consecutive days. At the end of the study, all rats were sacrificed and the renal were isolated for biochemical and histological evaluation. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and protein carbonyl (PC) level showed significantly increased (p < 0.05) in MSG 60 and MSG 120 group compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found in glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in all treated groups. The histology observation showed glomerulus shrinkage in MSG 60 and MSG 120 groups. In conclusion, these findings confirmed low dose of MSG-induced oxidative stress and histopathological changes on the renal of male Sprague-dawley rats. Accordingly, care must be taken on the intake of MSG in our daily basis.
Ulam is fresh traditional Malaysian vegetables which normally consumed in raw form or after a short blanching process.It contains high antioxidants and polyphenols. However, there is limited study about the relationship between ulam consumption and cognitive status. Thus, a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the relation with cognitive function among 132 middle-aged Malays adults (45-59 years old), ecruited by convenient sampling from low income residences in Klang Valley. Respondents were interviewed to obtain data on sociodemography, dietary intake and total ulam intake and also measured for anthropometric parameters at respective community centres. Cognitive status was measured using Digit Span (attention and working memory), Rey auditory verbal learning test (RAVLT) (verbal memory) and comprehensive trail making test (CTMT) (cognitive flexibility). The average ulam intake by the respondents was 15.1 ± 8.2g/day and the top five highest consumed ulam were petai (68.1%), pucuk paku (62.9%), ulam raja (56.8%), pegaga (54.6%) and kesum (44.7%).There was a significant correlation between ulam intake with Digit Span (r = 0.265, p = 0.006), total immediate recall of RAVLT (r = 0.427, p < 0.001) and CTMT (r = 0.257, p = 0.007). Analysis of multiple regression indicated that total ulam intake was a significant predictor for Digit Span (R2 = 0.152, p < 0.05), RAVLT (R2 = 0.335, p = 0.001) and CTMT (R2 = 0.310, p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study showed that ulam has the potential to protect against cognitive decline, however, randomized control trials should be conducted to determine the efficacy of the ulam as neuroprotective agent.
This study was aimed to determine the efficiency of synthetic protein-free media in spermatozoa washing, preparation
and retention of the activity of washed spermatozoa over short periods in vitro. Normozoospermic semen samples (n =
71) were equally apportioned and washed using synthetic protein-free medium (PFM), minimum essential medium + HSA
(MEM) or commercial protein-containing medium (CPC). Washed spermatozoa were cultured in vitro using PFM, MEM or
CPC media and held for 24 hrs at 4°C, 15°C, 22°C or 37°C. Spermatozoa activity was evaluated at 0 hr, 4 to 7 hrs and
24 hrs post-wash. The effects of PFM on spermatozoa motility, vitality, membrane integrity and DNA fragmentation level
were not significantly different from that of MEM and CPC media at 0 hr, 4 to 7 hrs and 24 hrs post-wash in vitro. Synthetic
PFM, MEM and CPC retained spermatozoa activity highest when specimen were held at 22°C and it was significantly higher
(p < 0.05) than that at 37°C after 24 hrs incubation in vitro. However, no significant changes (p > 0.05) were noted
in spermatozoa DNA fragmentation (SDF) levels when specimen were held at 22°C or 37°C at 4 to 7 hrs and also after
24 hrs post-wash in vitro in all media. The use of synthetic PFM as an alternative to the commercial protein-containing
media in human spermatozoa washing and preparation procedure for an efficient and safer (Assisted Reproduction
Technology) ART outcome. Spermatozoa activity can be successfully retained at room temperature post-wash over short
periods; spermatozoa may lose viability rapidly if held for long hours at 37°C in all media.
Awareness, involvement and training in dysphagia management are essential to ensure that patients are appropriately
assessed for dysphagia and provided with intervention. The study aimed to identify levels of awareness, involvement and
training of medical officers in dysphagia management. A total of 51 medical officers from the family medicine, medical,
otorhinolaryngology, surgery, and neurosurgery departments in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia participated in the
study. Levels of awareness, involvement and training of medical officers in dysphagia management were reported using
descriptive analysis. Results indicate that medical officers lacked awareness and training in dysphagia management.
Referral rates to speech-language pathologists for dysphagia management were low with 58.4% of medical officers having
had seldom or never referred patients. The results provide valuable information for addressing dysphagia management
in the hospital.
Programmes in the Health Sciences are less pursued by students compared to competative programmes such as medicine,
pharmacy, and dentistry. This study aimed to investigate the perception of Form Five students towards a career in Health
Sciences in four dimensions including characteristics that are considered as “important” in the selection of a career
choice, the level of knowledge in professions within the field of Health Sciences, students’ perception towards a career in
the field of Health Sciences and their possible career choice in the field of Health Sciences. This is a cross-sectional study
that included 188 students from 10 secondary schools around Kuala Lumpur. The results showed that the respondents
prioritized career characteristics that provided “job satisfaction”(97.8%), “job security” (96.8%), “interesting” (95.2%),
“helping other people” (92.4%), “doing something good for society” (92.1%) and “high salary” (88.6%). Respondents
also reported high level of knowledge for the profession of Medicine (93.1%), Pharmacy (84.0%), Dentistry (76.6%),
Nursing (74.8%) and Forensic Science (71.3%). Respondents knew the least about Speech-Language Therapy (28.0%),
Audiology (27.0%) and Occupational Therapy (19.3%) professions. Differences in terms of gender and ethnicity were also
identified through this study. Respondents’ perception towards the professions were influenced by the level of familiarity,
ethnicity and gender. Respondents were found to be less familiar and have misperception towards less-known professions,
and this affect respondents’ consideration to pursue these professions as careers.
Health care services are not often accessible and available for all people in one country due to multiple reasons such as the geographical barrier, affordability, etc. The aim of this study was to analyse willingness to pay (WTP) for healthcare services user fees among Malaysian population and determine its’ influencing factors. Structured interviews were conducted involving 774 households in 4 states represents Peninsular Malaysia. Validated questionnaires with open ended, followed by bidding games were applied to elicit maximum amount of WTP. The study was analysed descriptively and with multivariate regression method to adjust for potential confounding factors. More than half of respondents WTP more than current fee for the government clinic outpatient registration fee with mean MYR3.76 (SD2.71). Majority of respondents not WTP more than usual for private clinic simple outpatient treatment charges with the mean MYR38.76 (SD5.45). Factors that were found to have significant associations with WTP for both government and private clinic were income and having health insurance. Community willing to pay for healthcare services user fees and charges but at certain amount. The healthcare services user fees and charges can be increased up to community WTP level to avoid from catastrophic expenditure.
Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is very crucial for the health of infant as well as mother. However, the prevalence of
exclusive breastfeeding is very low especially among working mother. Since the prevalence of EBF might be influenced by
the level of knowledge on EBF, researcher comes to critical thinking to conduct this study to evaluate level of knowledge
on EBF among working mother. A cross sectional design study was carried out to determine knowledge level on exclusive
breastfeeding among working mother, and its relationship with demographic data in Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz
(HCTM). A total 283 respondents were recruited to participate in this study. The respondents’ knowledge level on exclusive
breastfeeding was identified using Kim & Chapman (2013) Questionnaire on Knowledge and Practice about Exclusive
Breastfeeding. The result showed that majority of the respondents (56.9%) had high knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding.
For demographic data, factors such as age, level of education, and family income had shown a significant association (p
< 0.05) with level of knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding. In conclusion, the level of knowledge of EBF was identified
among working mother, yet it has been influenced by mother’s sociodemographic background
Loss of teeth can affect masticatory efficiency in older adults. This may result in avoidance or modifications in food
choices and lead to lower intake of important nutrients among older individuals. The aim of this study was to determine
the association between tooth loss and body mass index, BMI, among older adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. A
cross-sectional study was carried out on 428 older adults aged 50 years and above from selected villages in district of
Kuala Pilah. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Number of tooth
loss was determined through oral assessment, followed by anthropometric assessment to calculate the BMI of respondents.
Findings showed that majority of the respondents were overweight and obese, 40.4% and 19.9% respectively, while only
a small proportion was underweight, 3.9%. The proportion of edentulism (total tooth loss) was 18.3% and majority of
the older adults had lost more than 12 teeth (77.1%) and less than 4 pairs of occluding posterior teeth (86.0%). Total
and partial tooth loss was found to be not significantly associated with BMI. In relation to the arrangement of teeth,
older adults with reduced number of posterior occluding pairs of teeth were more likely to experience unsatisfactory
BMI (OR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.48, 8.76). This may suggest that functional arrangement of the tooth in the oral cavity is more
important than the number of tooth loss alone. Thus, maintaining an optimum number of teeth for chewing is essential
for maintenance of ideal BMI.
Occupational injury is an issue that needs to be considered in reducing the problems of disability and death in the
workplace. Healthy and high-productivity workers are one of the important factors that are important to the economic
growth of a country. This study aims to identify the trend of disability for employees covered by the Employment Injury
Scheme under the Social Security Organization Malaysia (SOCSO) for the years 2009-2013. Based on the descriptive
analysis, 80% of the total numbers of workers who suffer injury or death in the workplace are male employees. In
addition, workers aged 25 and above are more prone to injury and death associated with work. The results showed that
socio-demographic factors such as gender and age, as well as level of disability are several important factors that need
to be considered in identifying the trend of disability among employees.
Hope leads to lower depression and anxiety and is associated with improved quality of life of cancer patients. In this
study, Hope Scale (HS) was translated into Malay, and the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the Hope
Scale were investigated among Malaysian cancer patients. Concurrent translation and back translation of the original
English version of the Hope Scale were performed, and the Malay version was administered to 195 cancer patients
with different cancer diagnoses at baseline assessment and 2 months later at follow-up. The Hope Scale (Malay) total
score (Cronbach’s α = 0.72; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.67) and its domains (Cronbach’s α [pathway] =
0.7; Cronbach’s α [agency] = 0.7; ICC[Pathway] = 0.64; ICC[Agency] = 0.70) demonstrated acceptable internal consistencies and
test-retest reliability. Convergent and discriminant validities were also achieved by the Hope Scale (Malay). The Hope
Scale (Malay) demonstrated construct validity, as confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the items in the Hope
Scale (Malay) best fit into two domains, which was true for the original English version. The Hope Scale (Malay) had
acceptable psychometric properties and thus is suitable for assessing hope in Malaysian cancer patients.