METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving caregivers of children with special needs in Kelantan, a state of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 383 caregivers completed questionnaires measuring sociodemographics, disability-related factors, psychosocial factors and QoL outcome. Structural equation modelling was performed to examine the relations of the variables in the conceptual model.
RESULTS: In the final model, childcare dependency, caregiver's age, financial support, negative perception of stress and maladaptive coping skills were significant predictors of QoL (R 2 = 0.65). Caregiver's age had a direct effect on QoL, while financial support had an indirect effect on QoL via negative perception of stress. Childcare dependency had direct and indirect effects on QoL via negative perception of stress. Higher perceived stress was associated with lower QoL directly and indirectly via maladaptive coping skills. The final model fitted the data well (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.046; CFI = 0.923; χ2/df = 1.798).
CONCLUSION: Intervention strategies to improve the QoL of caregivers should target the family unit and take into account the factors of child's disability, demographic and caregiver's psychosocial status.
METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted among 530 baseline normal weight (body mass index [BMI] 18.5 kg/m2-24.9 kg/m2) persons with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Brong Ahafo region of Ghana, from August 2018 to September 2019. Adherence to feeding recommendation was evaluated with perceived dietary adherence questionnaire (PDAQ). Malnutrition-risk was assessed using malnutrition universal screening tool. Multinomial logistics regression models were used to assess the association between adherence to diabetics' feeding recommendation with glycaemic control and with malnutrition risk.
RESULTS: Participants were generally healthy. Weight (P = 0.011), total cholesterol (P = 0.003) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)% (P < 0.001) were significant with adherence to diabetics feeding recommendation. Low adherence to diabetics' feeding recommendation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.56; 95% CI: 1.44, 4.56; P < 0.001), low adherence to fruit and vegetables (AOR 2.71; 95% CI: 1.48, 4.99; P < 0.001), low adherence to whole grain, beans, starchy-fruits and plantain (AOR 3.29; 95% CI: 1.81, 6.02; P < 0.001), and low adherence to foods prepared with walnut, canola, sunflower, cotton seed and fish oils (AOR 2.62; 95% CI: 1.49, 4.58; P < 0.001) were significant with poor glycaemic control. Furthermore, low adherence to food prepared with walnut, canola, sunflower, cotton seed, fish or soy oils (AOR 0.54; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.95; P = 0.034) and low adherence to fish and lean meat (AOR 2.09; 95% CI: 1.14, 3.86; P = 0.017) were significant with moderate malnutrition risk.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that poor adherence feeding recommendation could be related to glycaemic control and malnutrition risk.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Malaysians aged 20 years old and over, who had accessed the internet and used the WhatsApp application. The sampling method was a convenient snowball from 14 Malaysian states. This study was conducted online using questionnaires during the Movement Control Order due to the pandemic.
RESULTS: Approximately 40.0%, 46.1% and 47.4% of 1,290 participants had a score above the median (good score) for preventive behaviour, attitude and knowledge, respectively. Age was significantly associated with poor knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97, 0.99; P = 0.026). Males (AOR 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.74; P = 0.021), Malays (AOR 1.41; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.98; P = 0.043) and Chinese (AOR 2.19; 95% CI: 1.17, 4.13; P = 0.015) were the associated factors for poor attitude. Chinese ethnicity was significantly associated with poor preventive behaviour (AOR 2.80; 95% CI: 1.39, 5.61; P = 0.004).
CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge, attitude and practices were high except for a few questions. The young, males and Malay and Chinese individuals need health education.
METHODS: A total of 288 university students aged 18 to 29 years participated in this comparative cross-sectional study. We assessed dietary intake, level of physical activity, knowledge of diabetes and T2DM risk.
RESULTS: Respondents with a family history of diabetes had significantly higher weight (P = 0.003), body mass index (P < 0.001), waist circumference (P < 0.001), diabetes knowledge level (P < 0.005) and T2DM risk (P < 0.001). Ethnicity, fibre intake, T2DM risk score and knowledge about diabetes were significant contributors toward family history of diabetes (P = 0.025, 0.034, < 0.001 and 0.004, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Young adults with a family history of diabetes had suboptimal nutritional status. Despite being more knowledgeable about diabetes, they did not practice a healthy lifestyle. Family history status can be used to screen young adults at the risk of developing T2DM for primary disease prevention.
METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional design that involved six public primary care facilities in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The PNC-related costs data were collected between May and July 2017, utilising cost data for the year 2016 and involving 287 eligible mothers. The PNC costs were calculated using mixed top-down and activity-based costing (ABC) approaches.
RESULTS: The mean cost of PNC per patient was RM165.65 (median, RM167.12). Personnel cost was the main cost driver for PNC, which accounted for the most significant proportion of the total cost at 94.2%. Education level, type of health facilities and postnatal visits were positively associated with the total PNC cost.
CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the average cost of PNC in the public primary care facilities in Negeri Sembilan. The cost of PNC was revealed to be primarily driven by personnel cost. The findings of this pilot study could add to the evidence base of PNC and serve as a vital reference for improving future estimates to better allocate scarce resources.
METHODS: A total of 60 participants aged 18-30 years old volunteered to participate in this study (30 participants prescribed contact lenses at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia [UKM] optometry clinic and 30 participants fitted at private practices). Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire consisting of nine questions on basic knowledge related to lens wear and 13 questions on compliance, categorised into questions on the cleaning process, disinfection, accessories care and replacement schedule.
RESULTS: All participants wore disposable contact lens 53.3% (n = 32) participants preferred using monthly disposable lenses. Both groups had the same level of knowledge, except knowledge of the effects of makeup (P < 0.000) and duration of the solution used for cleaning (P < 0.010), showing lack of knowledge on contact lenses among participants in private practices group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the level of compliance with the cleaning process (P = 0.830), disinfection (P = 0.725), accessories care (P = 0.865) and replacement schedule (P = 0.699).
CONCLUSION: Participants from UKM optometry clinic had better knowledge on wearing contact lens; moreover, both groups had good compliance towards lens care. Contact lens practitioners should provide all the necessary information to contact lens wearers so that they are equipped to handle contact lenses correctly, which would minimise the risk of eye complications.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 172 subjects with suspected or unknown COVID-19 status brought in dead to the institute's mortuary during the pandemic in Malaysia. PMCT images reported by forensic radiologists and their agreement with conventional autopsy findings by forensic pathologists regarding COD were analysed to look at the effectiveness of PMCT in determining COD during a pandemic.
RESULTS: Analysis showed that 78.7% (133) of cases reported by forensic radiologists concurred with the COD certified by forensic pathologists. Of these cases, 85 (63.9%) had undergone only external examination and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) COVID-19 testing, meaning that imaging was the sole method used to determine the COD besides history from available medical records and the investigating police officer.
CONCLUSION: PMCT can be used as a complement to medicolegal autopsies in pandemic contexts, as it provides significant information on the possible COD without jeopardising the safety of mortuary health care workers.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 92 nursing students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The Big Five Inventory (BFI), Student Nurse Stress Index and Brief COPE instruments were used to measure the respondents' personality traits, stress level and coping mechanisms, respectively. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 26.
RESULTS: The most prevalent personality trait of the students was openness (mean = 33.58). Conscientiousness (r = -0.226, P = 0.030) and neuroticism (r = 0.326, P = 0.002) are significantly related to stress level. Extraversion (r = 0.219, P = 0.036), conscientiousness (r = 0.206, P = 0.049) and openness (r = 0.219, P = 0.036) show significant relationships with the approach coping mechanism, while agreeableness (r = -0.257, P = 0.013) and neuroticism (r = 0.297, P = 0.004) show significant relationships with the avoidant coping mechanism. However, no significant relationship was noted between personality traits and academic performance (r = 1.000, P > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Knowledge of ones' personality traits may benefit students in understanding themselves and in using the best ways to cope with their stress while studying nursing.
METHODS: Forty-four participants were assessed for knee extensor muscle strength using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) and the FTSST.
RESULTS: The data indicated that knee extensor muscle strength ≥ 53.06 Newton was the best independent predictor of the FTSST results (sensitivity 72.7%, specificity 72.7%). Moreover, knee extensor muscle strength was significant and correlated with the FTSST results (r = -0.45, P = 0.035).
CONCLUSION: The findings offer a cut-off point for the knee extensor muscle strength measured while standing up from a chair that may help medical professionals set rehabilitation goals for patients with iSCI.
METHODS: CEDV scale was translated from the original English version to Malay. Content and face validity were examined before field-testing. The study comprised a cross sectional study using the Malay version of the CEDV (CEDV-M) scale conducted at a secondary school in Perlis, Malaysia and investigated 235 children aged 13 years old-16 years old using an online platform. The construct validity, internal consistency and stability of the tool were assessed.
RESULTS: The CEDV-M scale's content and face validity both yielded a value exceeding 0.80. Furthermore, the tool demonstrated has good stability reliability, using the intra-class correlation value for all items ranging from 0.659 to 1.00. The exploratory factor analysis of the 36 items of the CEDV scale revealed possibilities of five or six factor domains. However, the five factor domains were most conceptually equivalent. Consequently, this study found that the CEDV-M scale is reliable with a total Cronbach's alpha of 0.87.
CONCLUSION: CEDV-M scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring a child's experience of domestic violence. Future studies recommend confirmatory factor analysis and standard settings for scoring systems.
METHODS: One hundred and ninety medical doctors and nurses, who were registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialities, were selected to participate in this cross-sectional study using a simple sampling technique. Their KAP of hand hygiene was assessed using a self-structured questionnaire and the collected data was analysed using IBM® SPSS® version 26.0.
RESULTS: Of the 190 healthcare workers, 74.7% were nurses and 25.3% were medical doctors. Among the participants, 53.7% (102) had good knowledge of hand hygiene, 51.6% (98) had positive attitudes towards hand hygiene and 55.8% (106) practised satisfactory hand hygiene. Bachelor education level (adjusted OR = 2.736; 95% CI = 1.101, 6.799; P = 0.030), postgraduate education level (adjusted OR = 6.256; 95% CI = 2.171, 18.028; P = 0.001), poor knowledge (adjusted OR =2.575; 95% CI = 1.263, 5.246; P = 0.009) and negative attitude (adjusted OR = 4.702; 95% CI = 1.263, 5.246; P < 0.001) were the significant predictor variables of unsatisfactory hand hygiene practice among healthcare workers.
CONCLUSION: The performance of hand hygiene among healthcare workers is still far less than optimal, particularly in settings like oncology units. Effective programmes are needed to increase their awareness of hand hygiene KAP, while strict guidelines are needed to reduce nosocomial infections.