Displaying publications 81 - 100 of 301 in total

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  1. Wong CY, Zalilah MS, Chua EY, Norhasmah S, Chin YS, Siti Nur'Asyura A
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:680.
    PMID: 26194643 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2058-x
    Double-burden of malnutrition (DBM) is an emerging public health concern among the Orang Asli (indigenous peoples) of Peninsular Malaysia. This study aimed to identify the presence of DBM at the community and household levels in Orang Asli population and its associated demographic and socio-economic factors.
  2. Mohd Shukri M, Ling Kho K, Ghane Kisomi M, Lani R, Marlina S, Muhd Radzi SF, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:704.
    PMID: 26205588 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1901-4
    Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) are important tick-borne viruses. Despite their wide geographical distribution and ease of acquisition, the prevalence of both viruses in Malaysia is still unknown. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence for TBEV and CCHFV among Malaysian farm workers as a high-risk group within the population.
  3. Rana M, Sayem A, Karim R, Islam N, Islam R, Zaman TK, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:716.
    PMID: 26215721 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2071-0
    BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of human death and TB is one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to assess the Knowledge about TB among non-medical university students in Bangladesh.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed on 839 non-medical university students. Data were collected from University of Rajshahi from March to August 2013 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was utilized to find the factors which are associated with students' knowledge about TB.
    RESULTS: Among 839 students, male and female were 68.2 % and 31.8 % respectively. Most of the students (94.4 %) were informed about the term TB, among them 50 % got information from electronic media. More than 50 % students believed that TB is a communicable disease, 42.8 % students agreed that bacteria is an agent for TB, most of the subjects (93 %) had the knowledge about the vaccination against TB and 97.6 % students believed that TB is curable. However, students had poor knowledge about latent TB (13.7 %) and DOTs program (28.5 %). χ (2)-test demonstrated that gender, residence, type of family and parents education were associated with students' knowledge of TB.
    CONCLUSION: In the present study demonstrated that the level of general knowledge about TB was insufficient among non-medical university students. Consequently, health education program is needed to improve the knowledge among university students regarding TB.
  4. El Kishawi RR, Soo KL, Abed YA, Wan Muda WA
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:319.
    PMID: 25879619 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1652-2
    Anemia is a major public health problem worldwide, with adverse consequences on child growth, development, and survival. This deficiency has affected approximately a quarter of the world population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and the associated factors among preschool children in the Gaza Strip.
  5. Hossain M, Mani KK, Mohd Sidik S, Hayati KS, Rahman AK
    BMC Public Health, 2015;15:484.
    PMID: 25957574 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1823-1
    Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children aged 0-4 years in many Asian countries, and is a serious but neglected health problem in low and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. The aim of the study is to outline the study protocol of a trial to test the efficacy of a mobile coach based intervention for the prevention of childhood drowning.
  6. Podin Y, Gias EL, Ong F, Leong YW, Yee SF, Yusof MA, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2006 Jul 07;6:180.
    PMID: 16827926
    BACKGROUND: A major outbreak of human enterovirus 71-associated hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak in 1997 marked the beginning of a series of outbreaks in the Asia Pacific region. Some of these outbreaks had unusually high numbers of fatalities and this generated much fear and anxiety in the region.

    METHODS: We established a sentinel surveillance programme for hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak, Malaysia, in March 1998, and the observations of the first 7 years are described here. Virus isolation, serotyping and genotyping were performed on throat, rectal, vesicle and other swabs.

    RESULTS: During this period Sarawak had two outbreaks of human enterovirus 71, in 2000 and 2003. The predominant strains circulating in the outbreaks of 1997, 2000 and 2003 were all from genogroup B, but the strains isolated during each outbreak were genetically distinct from each other. Human enterovirus 71 outbreaks occurred in a cyclical pattern every three years and Coxsackievirus A16 co-circulated with human enterovirus 71. Although vesicles were most likely to yield an isolate, this sample was not generally available from most cases and obtaining throat swabs was thus found to be the most efficient way to obtain virological information.

    CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the epidemiology of human enterovirus 71 transmission will allow public health personnel to predict when outbreaks might occur and to plan interventions in an effective manner in order to reduce the burden of disease.

  7. Hossain MM, Min RBM, Muhammad Z, Mani KKC
    BMC Public Health, 2020 May 26;20(1):787.
    PMID: 32456618 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08910-3
    BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious problems in many parts of the world, and is a high priority for health managers and decision-makers. The aim of the qualitative part of this study will be to develop a mobile SMS (short messaging services) counselling intervention to prevent HIV/AIDS, while the quantitative part will be to test the effectiveness of a mobile SMS counselling intervention to improve the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

    METHOD: A mixed methods approach will be used. Qualitative part: Design: focus group discussions (FGDs) will be conducted.

    SETTING: Hospital/NGOs in Terengganu, Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: Three FGDs will be conducted with male and female HIV/AIDS patients, and one group of local community leaders. One FGD will be conducted for each group. Three in-depth interviews (IDIs) will be conducted with patients who had HIV/AIDS, of which one will be female. Quantitative part: Design: a cluster randomized clinical trial with 384 HIV/AIDS patients in Terengganu, Malaysia.

    INTERVENTION: Mobile SMS counselling intervention for patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

    RESULTS: The main outcomes of this study will be the differences in knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS between the baseline and immediate follow-up after the intervention, and after 3 months.

    CONCLUSIONS: The mobile based SMS counselling intervention developed will be effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practices of patients concerning HIV/AIDS prevention in Terengganu, Malaysia.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trials Registry, TCTR20200212001; 7/02/2020.

  8. Kuan G, Kueh YC, Abdullah N, Tai ELM
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(1):751.
    PMID: 31196195 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7109-2
    BACKGROUND: Health-promoting behaviour is an important concept for health education. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of validated instruments to measure levels of health-promoting behaviour in the Malaysian context. The purpose of this study was to validate a Malay-language version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) using a confirmatory approach.

    METHODS: Participants were 997 university undergraduate students, with a mean age of 21 years (SD = 1.58). The majority of the participants (80.4%) were female. Health-promoting behaviour was assessed using the 52-item HPLP-II, which measures six components of health-promoting behaviour outcomes. HPLP-II was translated into the Malay language using standard forward and backward translation procedures. Participants then completed the HPLP-II Malay version (HPLP-II-M). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using Mplus 8.0 software on the six domains of HPLP-II-M model.

    RESULTS: The CFA result based on the hypothesised measurement model of six factors was aligned with the original HPLP-II, except for two low loading items which were subsequently removed from the CFA analysis. The final CFA measurement model with 50 items resulted in a good fit to the data based on RMSEA and SRMR fit indices (RMSEA = 0.046, 90%CI = 0.045, 0.048, SRMR = 0.062). The construct reliabilities for the HPLP-II-M subscales were acceptable, ranging from 0.737 to 0.878.

    CONCLUSION: The HPLP-II-M with six components of health-promoting behaviour outcomes and 50 items was considered valid and reliable for the present Malaysian sample.

  9. Mokhtar NM, Nawawi KNM, Verasingam J, Zhiqin W, Sagap I, Azman ZAM, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):550.
    PMID: 31196184 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6858-2
    BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was once considered as a Western disease. However, recent epidemiological data showed an emerging trend of IBD cases in the Eastern Asia countries. Clinico-epidemiological data of IBD in Malaysia is scarce. This study aimed to address this issue.

    METHODS: Retrospective analysis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), diagnosed from January 1980 till June 2018 was conducted at our centre.

    RESULTS: A total of 413 IBD patients (281 UC, 132 CD) were identified. Mean crude incidence of IBD has increased steadily over the first three decades: 0.36 (1980-1989), 0.48 (1990-1999) and 0.63 per 100,000 person-years (2000-2009). In the 2010 to 2018 period, the mean crude incidence has doubled to 1.46 per 100,000 person-years. There was a significant rise in the incidence of CD, as depicted by reducing UC:CD ratio: 5:1 (1980-1989), 5:1 (1990-1999), 1.9:1 (2000-2009) and 1.7:1 (2010-2018). The prevalence rate of IBD, UC and CD, respectively were 23.0, 15.67 and 7.36 per 100,000 persons. Of all IBD patients, 61.5% (n = 254) were males. When stratified according to ethnic group, the highest prevalence of IBD was among the Indians: 73.4 per 100,000 persons, followed by Malays: 24.8 per 100,000 persons and Chinese: 14.6 per 100,000 persons. The mean age of diagnosis was 41.2 years for UC and 27.4 years for CD. Majority were non-smokers (UC: 76.9%, CD: 70.5%). The diseases were classified as follows: UC; proctitis (9.2%), left-sided colitis (50.2%) and extensive colitis (40.6%), CD; isolated ileal (22.7%), colonic (28.8%), ileocolonic (47.7%) and upper gastrointestinal (0.8%). 12.9% of CD patients had concurrent perianal disease. Extra intestinal manifestations were observed more in CD (53.8%) as compared to UC (12%). Dysplasia and malignancy, on the other hand, occurred more in UC (4.3%, n = 12) than in CD (0.8%, n = 1). Over one quarter (27.3%) of CD patients and 3.6% of UC patients received biologic therapy.

    CONCLUSION: The incidence of IBD is rising in Malaysia, especially in the last one decade. This might be associated with the urbanization and changing diets. Public and clinicians' awareness of this emerging disease in Malaysia is important for the timely detection and management.

  10. Laghari M, Sulaiman SAS, Khan AH, Talpur BA, Bhatti Z, Memon N
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Sep 18;19(1):1274.
    PMID: 31533689 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7597-0
    BACKGROUND: Source case investigation, for children with tuberculosis (TB), is conducted to establish the source of infection and to minimize the extent of on-going transmission from infectious persons in the community. The aim of the study was to evaluate the secondary TB cases and to investigate the risk factors in developing TB among the household contacts (HHC) of children with active TB.

    METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted where 443 caregivers, of 508 children with active TB receiving treatment, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the risk factors for TB.

    RESULTS: A total of 2397 family members at the median of 5 persons were recorded. Of these, 223 (9.3%) were screened on symptoms basis and 35 (15.7%) of these contacts were diagnosed with TB. Multivariate analysis revealed HHC with TB (OR = 15.288, 95% CI: 5.378-43.457), HHC with smoking (OR = 7.094, 95% CI: 2.128-23.648), and contact of > 18 h with TB individual (OR = 4.681, 95% CI: 1.198-18.294) as statistically significant risk factors of TB among the HHC.

    CONCLUSION: With the current system of contact screening for TB, only 9.3% of all HHC were screened. The low rates of contacts screened are possibly a repercussion of the passive nature of the program, which mainly depend on distinctive clinical symptoms being experienced by the contacts. Strategies are required to certify adherence with contact screening among children with active TB and to critically consider the factors responsible for TB transmission.

  11. Krishna D, Mohd Zulkefli NA, Md Said S, Mahmud A
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Sep 18;19(1):1275.
    PMID: 31533790 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7561-z
    BACKGROUND: Immunization is an effective public health intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality among children and it will become more effective if the child can receive the full course of recommended immunization doses. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of childhood immunization defaulters and its associated factors among children below 5 years attending registered child care centers in Petaling District, Selangor.

    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey among mothers with children below 5 years from 60 registered child care centers in District of Petaling, Selangor. Data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire from a total of 1015 mothers. Simple Logistic Regression, Chi-square or Fisher's exact test were performed to determine the association between individual categorical variables and childhood immunization defaulters. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of childhood immunization defaulters.

    RESULTS: The study showed that the prevalence rate for defaulting immunization was 20.7%. After adjusting all confounders, six statistically significant predictors of childhood immunization defaulters were determined. They were non-Muslims (aOR = 1.669, 95% CI = 1.173, 2.377, p = 0.004), mothers with diploma and below educational background (aOR = 2.296, 95% CI = 1.460, 3.610, p 

  12. Teh CH, Teh MW, Lim KH, Kee CC, Sumarni MG, Heng PP, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Aug 27;19(1):1177.
    PMID: 31455283 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7516-4
    BACKGROUND: Lifestyle risk behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour and low fruit/vegetable intake have been identified as the major causes of chronic diseases. Such behaviours are usually instigated in adolescence and tend to persist into adulthood. Studies on the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours among adolescents are scarce, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, the present paper aimed to determine the clustering of lifestyle risk behaviours and its determinants among school-going adolescents in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional study, the Malaysian Adolescent Health Risk Behaviour (MyAHRB) study, which was conducted from May to September 2013 across 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia. A two-stage proportionate-to-size sampling method was employed to select a total of 3578 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years from 20 selected schools in urban and rural settlements, respectively. The MyAHRB study adopted a set of self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Global School-based Student's Health Survey (GSHS) and the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance.

    RESULTS: The results from the analysis of 2991 school-going adolescents aged 16-17 years showed that 16 (in boys) and 15 (in girls) out of 32 combinations of lifestyle risk behaviours clustered. Girls (aOR 2.82, 95% CI: 2.32-3.43) were significantly more likely to have clustered risk behaviours than boys; however, no significant associated factors were observed among girls. In contrast, boys of Malay descent (aOR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.89) or boys who had at least three friends (aOR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99) were less likely to engage in multiple risk behaviours.

    CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the clustering of multiple risk behaviours that occurred in both genders; these results suggest that multiple behaviour intervention programmes, instead of programmes based on siloed approaches, should be advocated and targeted to the high-risk sub-populations identified in the present study.

  13. Masood M, Aggarwal A, Reidpath DD
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Sep 03;19(1):1212.
    PMID: 31481044 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7536-0
    BACKGROUND: To investigate the association between national culture and national BMI in 53 low-middle- and high-income countries.

    METHODS: Data from World Health Survey conducted in 2002-2004 in low-middle- and high-income countries were used. Participants aged 18 years and over were selected using multistage, stratified cluster sampling. BMI was used as an outcome variable. Culture of the countries was measured using Hofstede's cultural dimensions: Uncertainty avoidance, individualism, Power Distance and masculinity. The potential determinants of individual-level BMI were participants' sex, age, marital status, education, occupation as well as household-wealth and location (rural/urban) at the individual-level. The country-level factors used were average national income (GNI-PPP), income inequality (Gini-index) and Hofstede's cultural dimensions. A two-level random-intercepts and fixed-slopes model structure with individuals nested within countries were fitted, treating BMI as a continuous outcome variable.

    RESULTS: A sample of 156,192 people from 53 countries was included in this analysis. The design-based (weighted) mean BMI (SE) in these 53 countries was 23.95(0.08). Uncertainty avoidance (UAI) and individualism (IDV) were significantly associated with BMI, showing that people in more individualistic or high uncertainty avoidance countries had higher BMI than collectivist or low uncertainty avoidance ones. This model explained that one unit increase in UAI or IDV was associated with 0.03 unit increase in BMI. Power distance and masculinity were not associated with BMI of the people. National level Income was also significantly associated with individual-level BMI.

    CONCLUSION: National culture has a substantial association with BMI of the individuals in the country. This association is important for understanding the pattern of obesity or overweight across different cultures and countries. It is also important to recognise the importance of the association of culture and BMI in developing public health interventions to reduce obesity or overweight.

  14. Aziz FAA, Ahmad NA, Razak MAA, Omar M, Kasim NM, Yusof M, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2018 Dec 11;18(1):1363.
    PMID: 30537956 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6266-z
    BACKGROUND: Globally, diarrhoea is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among children under than 5 years of age. There is a scarcity of published data on acute gastroenteritis (AGE) prevalence in Malaysia among children. This study aims to determine factors associated with diarrhoea in children aged less than 5 years in Malaysia.

    METHOD: Data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2016 conducted by Ministry of Health was analysed. This nationwide survey involved 15,188 children below five years old. The survey was carried out using a two-stage stratified sampling design to ensure national representativeness. The Questionnaire from UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MCIS) was adapted to suit local requirements. Analysis was done using SPSS Version 23. Descriptive followed by multiple logistic regression were done to identify relevant factors.

    RESULT: The prevalence of diarrhoea among children under five in Malaysia was 4.4% (95% CI: 3.8,5.2). Analysis using logistic regression indicated that only ethnicity and usage of untreated water were significantly associated with diarrhoea among children after controlling for relevant factors. By ethnicity, children in the 'Other Bumiputera' group had 2.5 times the odds of having diarrhoea compared to children of Malay ethnicity. Children of Indian ethnicity were also at higher risk, at almost double the odds, as well as other ethnic groups (1.5 times). Children who used untreated water supply were two times more likely to develop diarrhoea.

    CONCLUSION: There is a higher risk of diarrhoea among children of 'Other Bumiputera' ethnicity, Indian ethnicities, and other ethnic groups and those who consume untreated water. Strategies to reduce diarrhoea among children should be targeted towards these at-risk populations. In addition, the Government must strive to ensure universal access to treated clean water in Malaysia and the Ministry of Health must focus on raising awareness on how to prevent diarrhoea.

  15. Muhamad NA, Buang SN, Jaafar S, Jais R, Tan PS, Mustapha N, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2018 Dec 22;18(1):1402.
    PMID: 30577816 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6316-6
    BACKGROUND: In 2006, 4 years of planning was started by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia (MOH), to implement the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination programme. An inter-agency and multi-sectoral collaborations were developed for Malaysia's HPV school-based immunisation programme. It was approved for nationwide school base implementation for 13-year-old girls or first year secondary students in 2010. This paper examines how the various strategies used in the implementation over the last 7 years (2010-2016) that unique to Malaysia were successful in achieving optimal coverage of the target population.

    METHODS: Free vaccination was offered to school girls in secondary school (year seven) in Malaysia, which is usually at the age of 13 in the index year. All recipients of the HPV vaccine were identified through school enrolments obtained from education departments from each district in Malaysia. A total of 242,638 girls aged between 12 to 13 years studying in year seven were approached during the launch of the program in 2010. Approximately 230,000 girls in secondary schools were offered HPV vaccine per year by 646 school health teams throughout the country from 2010 to 2016.

    RESULTS: Parental consent for their daughters to receive HPV vaccination at school was very high at 96-98% per year of the programme. Of those who provided consent, over 99% received the first dose each year and 98-99% completed the course per year. Estimated population coverage for the full vaccine course, considering also those not in school, is estimated at 83 to 91% per year. Rates of adverse events reports following HPV vaccination were low at around 2 per 100,000 and the majority was injection site reactions.

    CONCLUSION: A multisectoral and integrated collaborative structure and process ensured that the Malaysia school-based HPV immunisation programme was successful and sustained through the programme design, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. This is a critical factor contributing to the success and sustainability of the school-based HPV immunisation programme with very high coverage.

  16. Hussin NM, Shahar S, Yahya HM, Din NC, Singh DKA, Omar MA
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Aug 22;19(1):1159.
    PMID: 31438929 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7508-4
    BACKGROUND: Limited information is available from longitudinal studies regarding the predictors and incidence of MCI in older Asian adults. Thus, a community-based longitudinal study was conducted to determine the incidence of MCI among multi-ethnic older adults in Malaysia. The role of health and lifestyle as predictors of MCI was also examined.

    METHODS: Analysis of data obtained from the Towards Useful Aging (TUA) study (2014-2016), wave 1 (baseline) and wave 2 (1½ years of follow-up) was conducted. For the baseline, comprehensive, interview-based questionnaires were administered to 1227 subjects who were 60 years old and above. MCI is a unique transitional state between normal ageing and dementia. MCI characteristics include a decline and disturbance of cognition, minimal impairment of complex activities, ability to perform regular daily functions, and absence of dementia. The incidence of MCI was assessed using comprehensive neuropsychological batteries. The study then performed a logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of each possible predictor of MCI. This analysis began with univariate analyses and a separate review of the effect of every variable. Binary logistic analyses followed hereafter.

    RESULTS: During the follow-up after 1½ years, 179 (14.6%) of the participants who did not exhibit MCI at baseline were observed to have developed MCI. Among the participants who did not exhibit MCI at baseline, the incidence rate was 10.5 per 100 person-years. Male sex and lack of engagement in mental activities were predictors of MCI among participants without MCI at baseline.

    CONCLUSION: After the 1½-year follow-up, the incidence rate for MCI was considerably high among the respondents. Being male and being less engaged in mental activities were predictors of the occurrence of MCI. Mental activities need to be promoted for the prevention of MCI incidence among older adults.

  17. Murukesu RR, Singh DKA, Shahar S
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):529.
    PMID: 31196015 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6870-6
    BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) is known to be more prevalent among women and is associated with decline in quality of life. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence, risk factors of urinary incontinence and its impact on quality of life among community dwelling older women living in urban and rural populations.

    METHODS: This study was conducted based on secondary data analysed from the third phase of the longitudinal study "Neuroprotective Model for Health Longevity among Malaysian Elderly" (LRGS TUA). Stratification of urban and rural study areas were in accordance to that determined by the Department of Statistics. A total of 814 community dwelling older women (53% urban, 47% rural), aged 60 years and above, across four states within Peninsular Malaysia were included in this analysis. Interview-based questionnaires were used to obtain respondents' sociodemographic details and clinical characteristics. The Timed Up and Go test and Handgrip Strength tests were used to assess physical function. Urinary incontinence was self-reported, and quality of life of those with incontinence was assessed using the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ).

    RESULTS: Prevalence of urinary incontinence was 16% and 23% among older women living in urban and rural areas, respectively. Ethnicity was significantly associated with incontinence among older women in both urban and rural population (p 

  18. Ibrahim N, Che Din N, Ahmad M, Amit N, Ghazali SE, Wahab S, et al.
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):553.
    PMID: 31196009 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6861-7
    BACKGROUND: The high number of adolescents and young adults harbouring suicidal ideation, as reported by the Ministry of Health Malaysia, is alarming. This cross-sectional study aims to examine the association between social support and spiritual wellbeing in predicting suicidal ideation among Malaysian adolescents.

    METHODS: A total of 176 adolescents in selected urban areas in the states of Wilayah Persekutuan and Selangor were selected. The Suicide Ideation Scale (SIS) was used to measure the level of severity or tendency of suicidal ideation. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to measure the perceived social support received by the respondent while the Spiritual Wellbeing Scale (SWBS) was used to measure the religious wellbeing (RWB), the existential wellbeing (EWB) and the overall score of spiritual wellbeing (SWB).

    RESULTS: The study found that both RWB and EWB showed significant negative correlation with suicidal ideation. Similarly, support from family and friends also showed a negative correlation with suicidal ideation. Further analysis using multiple regressions showed that RWB and SWB, and family support predict suicidal ideation in adolescents.

    CONCLUSION: Spiritual wellbeing in combination with family support plays a major role in predicting suicidal ideation. Therefore, intervention for encompassing spirituality and family support may contribute to a more positive outcome in suicidal adolescents.

  19. Omar R, Wan Abdul WMH, Knight VF
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):543.
    PMID: 31196018 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6865-3
    BACKGROUND: School children are considered a high-risk group for visual impairment because uncorrected refractive errors and problems such as amblyopia can seriously affect their learning abilities and their physical and mental development. There are many studies reporting the prevalence of refractive errors among school children of different ethnic groups in Malaysia, however, studies concerning the prevalence of refractive errors among indigenous or Orang Asli children are very limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among Orang Asli children.

    METHODS: One hundred ten Orang Asli children aged 7 to 12 years old in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia were selected. 51% of these children were boys while the remainders were girls. They underwent visual acuity test, cover test, Hirschberg's test, ocular external assessment and ophthalmoscopy. Children who failed the vision screening were then referred for further eye examination.

    RESULTS: Of these 110 Orang Asli children, 46 failed the vision screening and subsequently 45 of them were confirmed to have visual problems (40.9% of the total subjects). The main cause of visual impairment in this study was refractive error (34.5% of the total subjects) where the main refractive error found was hyperopia (28.2%) followed by amblyopia (2.7%), strabismus (1.8%) and ocular abnormalities (1.8%).

    CONCLUSION: Hence, vision screening and a comprehensive eye examination is very important and needs to be done on all Orang Asli children so that any visual problems can be detect at an early stage to avoid the development of learning difficulties among these already disadvantaged children.

  20. Lau H, Mat Ludin AF, Shahar S, Badrasawi M, Clark BC
    BMC Public Health, 2019 Jun 13;19(Suppl 4):462.
    PMID: 31196017 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6869-z
    BACKGROUND: Motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome is characterized by slow gait and memory complaints that could be used to predict an increased risk of dementia. This study aims to determine the MCR syndrome and its risk factors among low-income (B40) older adults in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Data from TUA cohort study involving 1366 older adults (aged 60 years and above) categorized as low-income were analysed, for risk of MCR syndrome based on defined criteria. Chi-square analysis and independent t test were employed to examine differences in socioeconomic, demographic, chronic diseases and lifestyle factors between MCR and non-MCR groups. Risk factors of MCR syndrome were determined using hierarchical logistic regression.

    RESULTS: A total of 3.4% of participants fulfilled the criteria of MCR syndrome. Majority of them were female (74.5%, p = 0.001), single/widow/widower/divorced (55.3%, p = 0.002), living in rural area (72.3%, p = 0.011), older age (72.74 ± 7.08 year old, p 

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