OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and predictors of poor sleep quality among secondary school students in Gombak District, Selangor.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gombak District. The sample size was 1,092 based on two group comparison formula. Students were selected using sampling with probability to proportionate to size. Selfadministered pretested questionnaires were used to collect the data. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was performed to determine the association between individual categorical variables and sleep quality. Variables with p-value <0.25 were selected to be subjected into multivariate logistic regression to determine the predictors.
RESULTS: The response rate was 93.0%. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 24.0% (95% CI = 21.5, 26.6). Based on the analysis of simple logistic regression seven variables that were significantly associated with poor sleep quality were age, gender, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance found fit in the model. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the significant predictors of poor sleep quality were age, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance. Factors that were not statistically significant were gender, religion, ethnicity, parent's educational level and family income.
CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of poor sleep quality among adolescents is high. The predictors of poor sleep quality are age, marital status of parents, depression, anxiety, stress and academic performance.
Aim: To identify levels of self-efficacy and foot care behaviour and their relationship with demographic characteristics in elderly patients with diabetes.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two general hospitals in Malaysia from May to June 2015. Diabetes patients aged 60 years with specific inclusion criteria were invited to participate in this study. The respondents were interviewed using a set of validated questionnaires. Data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics (multiple linear regression) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0.
Results: Levels of foot self-efficacy (mean+31.39; standard deviation=7.76) and foot care behaviour (mean=25.37; SD=5.88) were high. There was a positive significant relationship between foot self-efficacy (β = 0.41, p < 0.001) and gender (β = 0.30, p < 0.001) with foot care behaviour.
Conclusion: Self-efficacy can be incorporated in diabetes education to improve foot care behaviour. High-risk patients should be taught proper foot inspection and protection as well as the merits of skin care to prevent the occurrence of diabetic foot problems.
Material and Method: A single center retrospective study with a review of medical records was performed involving 105 patients, who were surgically treated for ruptured intracranial aneurysms in the Sultanah Aminah Hospital, in Johor Bahru, from July 2011 to January 2016. Information collected was the patient demographic data, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) prior to surgery, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies Scale (WFNS), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) grading system, and timing between SAH ictus and surgery. A good clinical grade was defined as WFNS grade I-III, whereas, WFNS grades IV and V were considered to be poor grades. The outcomes at discharge and six months post surgery were assessed using the modified Rankin's Scale (mRS). The mRS scores of 0 to 2 were grouped into the "favourable" category and mRS scores of 3 to 6 were grouped into the "unfavourable" category. Only cases of proven ruptured aneurysmal SAH involving anterior circulation that underwent surgical clipping were included in the study. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed and aP-value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Result: A total of 105 patients were included. The group was comprised of 42.9% male and 57.1% female patients. The mean GCS of the patients subjected to surgical clipping was 13, with the majority falling into the good clinical grade (78.1%). The mean timing of the surgery after SAH was 5.3 days and this was further categorised into early (day one to day three, 45.3%), intermediate (day four to day ten, 56.2%), and late (after day ten, 9.5%). The total favourable outcome achieved at discharge was 59.0% as compared to 41.0% of the unfavourable outcome, with an overall mortality rate of 10.5%. At the six-month post surgery review (n= 94), the patients with a favourable outcome constituted 71.3% as compared to 28.7% with an unfavourable outcome. The mortality, six months post surgery was 3.2%. On a univariate analysis of early surgical clipping, patients with a better GCS and good clinical grade had a significantly better outcome at discharge. Based on the univariate study, six months post surgery, the timing of the surgery and the clinical grade remained significant predictors of the outcome. On the basis of the multivariate analysis, male patients of younger age, with a good clinical grade, were associated with favourable outcomes, both at discharge and six months post surgery.
Conclusion: In this study, we concluded that younger male patients with a good clinical grade were associated with a favourable outcome both at discharge and six months post surgery. We did not find the timing of the surgery, size of the aneurysm or duration of surgery to be associated with a patient's surgical outcome. Increasing age was not associated with the surgical outcome in a longer term of patient's follow up.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in two different cities of Malaysia. A convenience sampling approach was adopted. A total of 787 participants agreed to participate in the current research. A validated questionnaire translated into national language was used for data collection.
Statistical Analysis Used: Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.
Results: About 302 respondents were in the age range of 18 - 25 years old (38.4%). There were marginally more females (55.7%) than males (44.3%). Although 99.9% of the participants used a toothbrush, a significant majority (n = 590, 75%) used more than a single device to maintain their oral hygiene. Only 311 respondents knew that toothpicks were inappropriate to use to remove food between teeth and gums, while a majority (n = 592, 75.2%) did not realize that some mouthwashes can stain the teeth. Less than half (42.1%) knew that improper use of miswak might harm the teeth.
Conclusions: Although their oral hygiene behaviors are relatively at a higher level, their perceived oral health benefits did not compare well.