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Displaying publications 61 - 76 of 76 in total

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Contraceptive method switching over women's reproductive careers: evidence from Malaysian life history data, 1940s-70s

DaVanzo J, Reboussin D, Starbird E, Tan BA, Hadi SA

J Biosoc Sci Suppl, 1989;11:95-116.
PMID: 2489987

Several new concepts are used to describe contraceptive use histories for nearly 1200 women in Peninsular Malaysia. These histories are summarized by 81 episode histories. Transition matrices provide useful summaries of the changes women make in their contraceptive practice from one pregnancy interval to the next. Data from the mid-1940s to mid-1970s, during which period there was a dramatic increase in contraceptive use, reveal considerable inertia in individual couples' contraceptive practice. Persistence with a method was greater the less effective the method: while 86% of couples using no method in one interval used no method in the next, only 56% of couples using the pill in one interval also used it in the next. Virtually all transitions are of three types: continuation with the same method, a change from no method to some method, or a change from some method to no method. For only 1% of all pregnancies did couples use one contraceptive method before a pregnancy and a different method after the pregnancy. Differences are examined by calendar year and education.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Fulltext The effects of subdermal hormonal contraceptive implant on health indices. A preliminary report

Murad, A.Z., Mokhtar, A., Sudesan, R., Lee, S.F., Ghazali, I.

International Medical Journal Malaysia, 2007;6(2):1-16.
MyJurnal

Subdermal etonogestrel implant (Implanon®) is the newest, long term contraceptive implant which has recently been made available to Malaysian women. This prospective study was conducted to determine the effects on selected health indices among 42 women who had consented to Implanon® as their choice of contraception. Health indices were checked prior to Implanon® insertion and six months post insertion. Findings indicate a significant reduction in total cholesterol with a significant increase in total haemoglobin and BMI. However there was no significant change noted in the fasting blood sugar, glycosylated haemoglobin, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Fulltext Career choices of Malaysian medical students

Deva MP

Med J Malaysia, 1981 Sep;36(3):188-92.
PMID: 7329378
Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Relationship between work-family conflict and unhealthy eating: Does eating style matter?

Shukri M, Jones F, Conner M

Appetite, 2018 04 01;123:225-232.
PMID: 29294321 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.12.027

There is increasing evidence to suggest that work-family conflict is implicated in poor eating patterns. Yet, the underlying mechanism remains unexplored. The objectives of the present study were to demonstrate the interplay between work-family conflict, eating style, and unhealthy eating, and to test whether body mass index (BMI) and its interactions further explicate the relationships. In this study, 586 Malaysian adults (normal weight n = 437, overweight n = 149) completed a questionnaire, which included demographic variables, work-family scales, eating style measures, namely, restrained, emotional or external eating and reported food intake. As hypothesized, results showed that family-to-work conflict (FWC), emotional eating and external eating were positively related to unhealthy food consumption. In addition, emotional eating was found to moderate the impact of FCW on eating. These findings are consistent with research that has revealed emotional eating can indeed increase the positive association between stress such as conflict and unhealthy food choices. However, we found no clear support for the interactive effects of BMI. Our research builds on the findings of existing research as it demonstrates the role of eating style in explaining the association between work-family conflict and unhealthy eating. This conclusion has potential implications for appropriate interventions and calls for the enhancement of various policies to tackle obesity and other health problems.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Choosing health, constrained choices

Chee Khoon Chan

Glob Health Promot, 2009 Dec;16(4):54-7.
PMID: 20028669 DOI: 10.1177/1757975909348131

In parallel with the neo-liberal retrenchment of the welfarist state, an increasing emphasis on the responsibility of individuals in managing their own affairs and their well-being has been evident. In the health arena for instance, this was a major theme permeating the UK government's White Paper Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier (2004), which appealed to an ethos of autonomy and self-actualization through activity and consumption which merited esteem. As a counterpoint to this growing trend of informed responsibilization, constrained choices (constrained agency) provides a useful framework for a judicious balance and sense of proportion between an individual behavioural focus and a focus on societal, systemic, and structural determinants of health and well-being. Constrained choices is also a conceptual bridge between responsibilization and population health which could be further developed within an integrative biosocial perspective one might refer to as the social ecology of health and disease.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Choice and constraints in floodplain occupation: the influence of structural factors on residential location in peninsular Malaysia

Chan NW

Disasters, 1995 Dec;19(4):287-307.
PMID: 8564454

In Peninsular Malaysia 'structural' factors are found to influence strongly people's persistent occupation of floodplains. Thus, despite a high level of flood hazard awareness, a high level of pessimism and a high level of expectation of future floods, poorer individuals seldom attempt to leave for more advantageous locations but are instead trapped in their present locations by structural factors such as poverty, low residential and occupational mobility, low educational attainment, traditional land inheritance, government aid, and government disaster preparedness, relief and rehabilitation programmes. These forces exert a strong influence upon individuals and largely control their choice of residential location in response to flood hazards, thereby reinforcing the persistent occupation of floodplains. Structural factors such as landlessness, rural-urban migration, floodplain encroachment and squatting are also highly influential in leading people to move. Even for those who move, structural factors have largely confined their choice of residential location to urban floodplains.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Life events and stress: do older men and women in Malaysia cope differently as consumers?

Ong FS, Phillips DR, Chai ST

J Cross Cult Gerontol, 2013 Jun;28(2):195-210.
PMID: 23652824 DOI: 10.1007/s10823-013-9190-9

The study of major life events and their effects on well-being has considerable relevance for scientific disciplines and policy making in understanding the consumer behaviour of older people. There is evidence of differences in reactions to and coping with stress between males and females but relatively little knowledge about such gender differences amongst older people, especially in middle-income countries. This study of older Malaysians looked at both coping strategies and gender differences in reactions to stress when people are confronted with certain life events. Seventeen major life events were used in interviews with 645 respondents aged 50 years or older in five major urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The analysis showed older women tended to experience higher levels of chronic stress than older men. They also had more health problems, had lower levels of self-esteem and were less satisfied with life. Whilst the results showed little support for gender differences in coping behaviours, stress had a significant influence on the way older men and women change store preferences. A hypothesis that older women would use more emotion-focused coping strategies was not supported. Knowledge of how older Malaysians cope with life events and stress and especially in this instance with regard to consumption behaviour, is likely to be of considerable academic and policy related interest.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Influencing preferences for different types of causal explanation of complex events

Klein G, Rasmussen L, Lin MH, Hoffman RR, Case J

Hum Factors, 2014 Dec;56(8):1380-400.
PMID: 25509820

We examined preferences for different forms of causal explanations for indeterminate situations. Background: Klein and Hoffman distinguished several forms of causal explanations for indeterminate, complex situations: single-cause explanations, lists of causes, and explanations that interrelate several causes. What governs our preferences for single-cause (simple) versus multiple- cause (complex) explanations?

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Fulltext Knowledge, Attitude, Exposure, and Future Intentions toward Exclusive Breastfeeding among Universiti Sains Malaysia Final Year Medical and Dental Students

Mohamad N, Saddki N, Azman KNK, Aziz IDA

Korean J Fam Med, 2019 Jul;40(4):261-268.
PMID: 30625269 DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.18.0021

BACKGROUND: Breastmilk is the best nourishment for an infant for the first 6 months of life. Health professionals like medical doctors and dentists can help promote and support exclusive breastfeeding. We aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, exposure, and future intentions toward exclusive breastfeeding among final year medical and dental students at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia.
METHODS: A total of 162 students participated in this cross-sectional study that was conducted between May and September of 2015. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the variables of interest.
RESULTS: Most students knew exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first 6 months of life (98.1%). However, some students incorrectly thought formula milk can be given if the infant appears hungry after having been breastfed (61.7%). Additionally, some incorrectly thought expressed breastmilk can be warmed on direct heat (47.5%) and left-over expressed milk can be re-stored (60.5%). Most students agreed that exclusive breastfeeding is easier to practice than formula feeding and that it is the best choice for working mothers. Most students (93.2%) intend to breastfeed their children, and this intention was significantly associated with their experience being breastfed as infants and attitudes toward exclusive breastfeeding.
CONCLUSION: Generally, final year medical and dental students have favorable attitudes and future intentions toward exclusive breastfeeding, although some of them lacked knowledge about certain important aspects of the practice. Past experience of being exclusively breastfed and a more positive attitude toward the practice were associated with their future intentions to practice exclusive breastfeeding.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Fulltext Higher Dietary Cost Is Associated with Higher Diet Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study among Selected Malaysian Adults

Pondor I, Gan WY, Appannah G

Nutrients, 2017 Sep 16;9(9).
PMID: 28926947 DOI: 10.3390/nu9091028

Food price is a determining factor of food choices; however its relationship with diet quality is unclear in Malaysia. This study aimed to examine socio-economic characteristics and daily dietary cost (DDC) in relation to diet quality in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Dietary intake was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and diet quality was estimated using a Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (M-HEI). DDC in Malaysian Ringgit (RM) was calculated from dietary intake and national food prices. Linear regression models were fitted to determine associations between DDC and M-HEI scores and predictors of diet quality. The mean M-HEI score of respondents was 61.31 ± 10.88 and energy adjusted DDC was RM10.71/2000 kcal (USD 2.49). The highest quintile of adjusted DDC had higher M-HEI scores for all respondents (Q1: 57.14 ± 10.07 versus Q5: 63.26 ± 11.54, p = 0.001). There were also positive associations between DDC and M-HEI scores for fruits (p < 0.001) and vegetables (p = 0.017) for all respondents. Predictors of diet quality included carbohydrate (β = 0290; p < 0.001) and fat intakes (β = -0.242; p < 0.001) and energy adjusted DDC (β = 0.196; p < 0.001). Higher dietary cost is associated with healthy eating among Malaysian adults.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Religious scholars' attitudes and views on ethical issues pertaining to pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in Malaysia

Olesen A, Nor SN, Amin L

J Bioeth Inq, 2016 Sep;13(3):419-29.
PMID: 27365102 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-016-9724-2

Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) represents the first fusion of genomics and assisted reproduction and the first reproductive technology that allows prospective parents to screen and select the genetic characteristics of their potential offspring. However, for some, the idea that we can intervene in the mechanisms of human existence at such a fundamental level can be, at a minimum, worrying and, at most, repugnant. Religious doctrines particularly are likely to collide with the rapidly advancing capability for science to make such interventions. This paper focuses on opinions and arguments of selected religious scholars regarding ethical issues pertaining to PGD. In-depth interviews were conducted with religious scholars from three different religious organizations in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Findings showed that Christian scholars are very sceptical of the long-term use of PGD because of its possible effect on the value of humanity and the parent-children relationship. This differs from Islamic scholars, who view PGD as God-given knowledge in medical science to further help humans understand medical genetics. For Buddhist scholars, PGD is considered to be new medical technology that can be used to save lives, avoid suffering, and bring happiness to those who need it. Our results suggest that it is important to include the opinions and views of religious scholars when it comes to new medical technologies such as PGD, as their opinions will have a significant impact on people from various faiths, particularly in a multi-religious country like Malaysia where society places high value on marital relationships and on the traditional concepts of family.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior/ethics
Effects of aqueous extract of Prismatomeris glabra root on non-spatial memory in rats using object discrimination test

Norazrina Azmi, Loh WT, Siti Suriani Omar, Juriyati Jalil, Aishah Adam

Sains Malaysiana, 2011;40:1097-1103.

The aqueous extract of Prismatomeris glabra root has been used traditionally in Malaysia by the aborigines and certain rural Malays for its ergogenic effects, to maintain wellness and to enhance physical stamina. It has also been used as an aphrodisiac for generations in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Previous studies have shown that plants with ergogenic effects may also act as a stimulant and impair cognitive function. Therefore, we seek to investigate the effects of P. glabra on non-spatial memory in male Sprague Dawley rats using object recognition test. Trial rats were injected intraperitoneally with an aqueous extract of P. glabra roots at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for the acute (30 min) and subacute (7 days) studies. Scopolamine (0.3 mg/kg) was used as a positive control only in the acute study meanwhile control rats were injected with saline. The locomotor activity of rats was also determined in the same test. We demonstrated that groups treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg of the extract lost their ability to discriminate the novel from familiar object in choice phase and did not alter the locomotor activity in both studies. Our results also indicated that the deficits in non-spatial working memory occured at these doses were not due to impaired locomotor activity.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Mode choice model for vulnerable motorcyclists in Malaysia

Ibrahim Sheikh AK, Radin Umar RS, Habshah M, Kassim H, Stevenson M, Ahmed H

Traffic Inj Prev, 2006 Jun;7(2):150-4.
PMID: 16854709

In developing countries, motorcycle use has grown in popularity in the past decades. Commensurate with this growth is the increase in death and casualties among motorcyclists in these countries. One of the strategic programs to minimize this problem is to reduce motorcyclists exposure by shifting them into safer modes of transport. This study aims to explore the differences in the characteristics of bus and motorcycle users. It identifies the factors contributing to their choice of transport mode and estimates the probability that motorcyclists might change their travel mode to a safer alternative; namely, bus travel.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior*
Fulltext Behaviour-Based Safety (BBS) implementation reduce incidents at the workplace in major industry

Rosliza Osman, Noorhasimah Awang, Siti Nasyrah Ibrahim, Siti Nurani Hassan, Norsyahidah Mohammad Yusof, Jais Suratman, et al.

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2015;12(1):105-108.
MyJurnal

Unsafe behaviour is the key factor which contributes to the high number of incidents. Applying Behavior-Based
Safety (BBS) into safety risk controls has been adopted in major industry toward improving safety performance.
This approach to prevent incident has a number of advantages. The objective of this study is to identify the BBS
factors which can contribute to reduce incidents at the workplace. Human factors, behaviour and environment have
been identified as BBS factors. Human factors are influenced by knowledge and understanding of the workers while
behaviour factors are influenced by culture and practices in a daily life. In addition, environmental factor involves
equipment and work area. For an effective BBS approach, level of knowledge, understanding and practices by the
workers become the main concerns in the implementation of BBS. The findings can become the reference model for
future implementation in other organizations and as a guidance for better safety management.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Fulltext Fracture resistance tests validation: a survey of literature review

Ahmad Mahmood, Aws H. Ali Al-Kadhim, Zaripah Wan Bakar, Adam Husein

Malaysian Dental Journal, 2011;32(1):12-16.
MyJurnal

Evaluation of the mechanical behaviour of restoration dental materials is essential to understand their performance under different load conditions and to estimate their durability under clinical oral function. Restorative materials and dental tissues like other materials by having specific mechanical properties, such as static strength (i.e. compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength) and dynamic strength (i.e. fatigue strength). The selection of proper mechanical test type depends on the goals that the study claims to define. On such basis, the mechanical test can be chosen correctly. Laboratory studies should be designed as replications of the clinical oral circumstances to measure the mechanical and physical properties of a material and any arbitrary choices in the design of the study may result in large variations of data.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior
Fulltext The influence of socio-demographic factors and product attributes on attitudes toward purchasing special rice among Malaysian consumers

International Food Research Journal, 2011;18(3):1135-1142.
MyJurnal

The study investigated socio-demographic factors and product attributes affecting purchase decision of special rice by Malaysian consumer. The primary data were analyzed by using binary logit model.
Demographic factors and consumer preference for special rice (with reference to basmati rice) attributes were identified to affect purchasing behavior for special rice. Size of household, marital status, number of children, household income and gender of consumers are the main socio-demographic factors that significantly influence households’ choices of special rice for home consumption in the Klang Valley area. The findings also suggest that product attributes such as flavor and aroma, availability, brand name and quality also influence the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice among the Malaysian consumers. However price and easy preparation are not significant in influencing the frequent purchasing of Basmati rice since most consumers are aware that special rice such as Basmati is expensive and all rice has to be prepared in a usual way.

Matched MeSH terms: Choice Behavior

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