Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is broadly used as an adjunct treatment for patients to treat various kinds of disease, prevent disease and to sustain and enhance quality of life of the users. The study is aimed to investigate the association between CAM uses, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and anthropometric indices among workers or staffs in Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Gong Badak Campus, Kuala Terengganu. A total of 300 subjects participated in this study and completed the malay version of modified HRQol (SF-12) questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements among the subjects were done. Independent t-test, One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation were used to test the association and the hypotheses. The prevalence of CAM users was 37.3%. The results showed that bodily pain score domain was significantly higher among non-CAM users. Overall, male had higher Mental Health Composite Score (MCS) score than female. Physical Health Composite Score (PCS) was only correlated negatively with BMI among non-CAM users but negative correlated with body fat percentage in both CAM and non-CAM users. As conclusion, HRQoL had significant negative correlation with body fat percentage among CAM users. No association was found between CAM use and HRQoL scores.
Lifestyles such as unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity and smoking are considered fundamental risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Preventive activities have been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular lifestyle risks and cardiovascular preventive activities among healthy government servants in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was done from June to September 2013 among 121 government servants working at the Federal Complex, Kuala Terengganu. A questionnaire which consists of socio-demographic data, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the dietary component of WHO STEPS and cardiovascular screening activities were used as tools. Clustering of cardiovascular lifestyle risks was defined as the presence of two or more of smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Optimal cardiovascular screening is defined as having done the required screening for hypertension, diabetes, dyslipideamia and obesity. The study response rate was 90.9% (110 of 121). Prevalence of smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet were 20%, 50% and 87% respectively. The prevalence of clustering of cardiovascular lifestyle risks was 57%. The prevalence of optimal cardiovascular screening for age was 49%. The prevalence of cardiovascular lifestyle risks among government servants in Kuala Terengganu is still high. About half of them did not have the optimal screening for cardiovascular disease. Measures need to be done to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in the community. Effort should be made at the primary care level and public health to screen those with multiple cardiovascular lifestyle risks in order to optimize cardiovascular disease prevention.
Spirituality and mental adjustment have been widely adopted as coping strategies among women with breast cancer. Little information was available locally on the use of spirituality and mental adjustment as coping mechanisms to fight breast cancer. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess spirituality and mental adjustment as coping strategies and its association with socio demographic data on 216 women with breast cancer. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) and Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) Scales were used to assess spirituality and mental adjustment. Negative correlation between spiritual well-being and helplessness/hopelessness (r=-0.690; p=0.000), anxious preoccupation (r=-0.277; p=0.000) and avoidance (r=-0.235; p=0.000) and positive correlation between spiritual well-being and fighting spirit (r=0.668; p=0.000) were identified. Socio-demographic factors such as race (p=0.000), religion (p=0.000), academic qualification (p=0.004) and type of surgery (p=0.016) revealed significant relationship with spiritual well-being. Fighting spirit, hopelessness/helplessness and anxious preoccupation also yielded significant relationship with race (p
Patient waiting time was introduced to orthodontic clinics in 2009 as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) as a measure of client satisfaction. A cross-sectional pilot study was carried out in 2009 in all four main government orthodontic clinics in Selangor. The objectives were to measure patient actual waiting time and evaluate conformance to this KPI. The sample comprised of 5,286 patients; 9.2% from Tanjung Karang, 37.1% Kajang, 29.3% Klang and 24.4% Shah Alam. There were 33.8% punctual, 44.2% early and 21.9% late patients. The mean actual waiting time (AWT) in Selangor was 30 min (SD 24.7); shortest in Tanjung Karang (16.5min, SD 15.3) and longest in Shah Alam (47.9min, SD29.6). AWT was 21.9 min (SD 17.4) for patients punctual for appointments, 40.3 min (SD 40.3) for early patients and 21.9min (SD19.8) for late patients respectively. Although the mean AWT was long for early patients, 20% of them were seen earlier than their appointment time. All four clinics complied with the MOH KPI performance target (>50%) with a mean compliance of 87.5% for Selangor. There is statistically significant difference in punctuality of patients in different clinics (p
Anthropometric study is one of the oldest branches of study in ergonomics where it serves a purpose in study of
proportion and size for human body. One of the common methods used in anthropometric measurement is traditional
measurement or direct measurement. However, Malaysia is still left behind other countries in development of national
anthropometric database. Researchers in Malaysia are still relying on the traditional anthropometric (TA)
measurement. There are several important factors that contribute to problems in TA such as accuracy, time, posture,
identification of landmarks, instrument positions and orientations, and pressure exerted due to measuring equipment. In
view of the fact that the difficulties of obtaining human anthropometry, it becomes necessary to propose a method which
has less contact executed to respondent. This study aims to propose a new anthropometric measurement method using
motion capture camera (MCC) method, later to develop the database for youth male population. A pilot test was done
in order to confirm the measuring procedure as well as the flow of the study. Next, the Minitab statistical software used
to check the validity and reliability of data using the tests of a) Accuracy-Pearson/Spearman Correlation b) BiasPaired
T-Test c) Test-Retest Reliability-Pearson/Spearman Correlation d) Precision-Mean Absolute Difference and
Relative Error Measurement. Results showed that the validity and reliability of this motion camera has successfully
obtained and the anthropometric data for youth male respondents has successfully constructed. These findings can be
used and expended to the national anthropometric database to be utilised in ergonomics design.
Driving activity has become more important as this medium being practical, it is also cheaper and faster in
connecting human from one to another place. However, in some occurrence, it can cause accidents as they become
fatigued while driving. Driver fatigue is one of the top contributors to the road accidents and can be dangerous as
other road safety issues such as drink driving. Worst is, there are no laws regulating driver fatigue. Therefore, the
main purpose of this study is to develop the regression model of apsychophysical factor for drivers’ fatigue which can
predict the relationship between the process input parameters and output responses. The study was participated by
ten subjects. The heart rate was taken and recorded using heart rate monitor. Design Expert 8.0.6 software was used
for the regression analysis. The modeling validation runs werewithin the 90% prediction intervals of the developed
model and the residual errors were less than 10%. The R
2
value is 0.9400 whichmeans that the linear regression line
passed exactly through all points. The significant parameters that influenced the heart rate were also identified.The
parameters are time exposure, type of road, and gender.
Manual workers in plastics industry are often exposed to work related discomfort and pain while performing their daily
task. These exposure leads to common occupational diseases such as Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder (WMSD) or
low back pain (LBP) which in turn will affect their working performance. The main objective for this study is to
analyse the working posture of a manual worker that works in a polypropylene fibrillated yarn industry using RULA
assessment in CATIA P3 V5R14 software. The subject were selected from the packaging area as the manual handling
work are only present in that area. Based on the RULA analysis done by constructing the worker posture in the
software, several awkward postures were identified to be high in risk factors. The postures that is high in risk is
postures 3 which is due to lifting heavy loads and twisting or turning of the trunk. The postures obtained the final
RULA analysis score of 7 and this indicates that changes must be done immediately. It is recommended that the
company should increase the ergonomic awareness among the manual workers especially while performing their work
and to redesign the working posture for the manual workers.
A cross sectional study was carried amongst adolescent school children in Barat Daya, in 2000. This was to determine the characteristic features of adolescents in the district and to look into their sexual activities, substance use and psychosocial problems with the aim to plan an appropriate adolescent health program. Some 400 students from Form 2 and Form 4 were selected by purposive stratifed and systematic sampling. The study was carried out by trained nurses with an interview using a structured questionnaire. The majority of the respondents were Malays (78.8%) with a household income of less than RM2, 000.00 per if month. Family relations and parental influence were found to be strong. Mental health characteristics scored negatively significantly in this study and those particularly at risk were those who performed poorly in schools. Most claimed not to be involved in high risk behaviour though they knew of friends who did so. Adolescent health services in the district should take an integrated approach with other stakeholders. Health information should be easily available and focus should be given to poor achievers in school.
Information regarding out of hospital cardiac arrest incidence including outcomes in Malaysia is limited and fragmented. This study aims to identify the incidence and adherence to protocol of out of hospital cardiac arrest and also to explore the issues faced by pre-hospital personnel in regards to the management of cardiac arrest victim in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A mixed method approach combining qualitative and quantitative study design was used. Two hundred eighty five (285) pre-hospital care data sheet for out of hospital cardiac arrest during the year of 2011 were examined by using checklists to identify the incidence and adherence to protocol. Nine semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions were performed. Based on the overall incidence for out of hospital cardiac arrest cases which occurred in 2011 (n=285), the survival rate was 16.8%. On the adherence to protocol, only 89 (41.8%) of the cases adhered to the given protocol and 124 did not adhere to such protocol. All the relevant qualitative data were merged into few categories relating to issues that could affect the management of out of hospital cardiac arrest performed by pre-hospital care team. The essential elements in the handling of out of hospital cardiac arrest by pre-hospital care teamwasto ensure increased survival rates and excellent outcomes. Measures are needed to strengthen the quick activation of the pre-hospital care service, prompt bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, early defibrillation and timely advanced cardiac life support, and also to address all other issues highlighted in the qualitative results of this study.
Realizing the huge potential of e-learning in casemix education and since there was no e-learning program on casemix and clinical coding available globally. International Centre for Case-mix and Clinical Coding (ITCC) proposed to establish a universal case-mix education programs through providing an e-learning program (ELP) for case-mix and clinical coding and evaluate its success. The aim of this study is to describe the process of development of e-learning program for casemix system and clinical coding. The introduction of course about casemix and clinical coding was redesigned for elearning program by applying ADDIE model (refer to Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation).A total number of 57 learners attended to the course from around the world (40 different countries). The mean age of subjects was 34.70±8.66 years. Regarding profession, the largest percentiles (40.4%) of e-learners were belonging to academic sector and healthcare sector. All of the participants felt satisfied or very satisfied with the program. There was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test for e-learners knowledge score at the 0.05 alpha levels. The findings of the evaluation of the case-mix e-learning program indicated that e-learners found the educational performances of the case-mix online program to be satisfactory. With the advent of modern computer networking systems, organizations can employ these systems to enhance learning and performance improvement of case mix system.
A cross sectional study was conducted in Kelantan state with the objectives to determine the prevalence of smoking in 2004 and to determine the relationship between smoking and age, sex, educational level, family and peer influence. All residents aged 15 years and above from all the selected households were included in this study. A standardized pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in this study. Out of 1025 respondents interviewed the prevalence of ever and current smokers was 34% and 25.1% respectively.The prevalence of ever smokers and current smokers was significantly higher In males as compared to females (p.<0.001). The mean initiation age for the males current smokers was 10.4 (95% CI = 19.4, 21.5) years with a range from 7 to 66 years. For the females the mean initiation age was 31 (95% Cl =26.8, 35.2) years with a range from 15 to 64 years. The difference between the mean initiation age between male and female smokers was statistically significant (p<0.0001). The overall mean duration of smoking was 23.9 years with a median of 23 years. It ranged from less than 1 year to 66 years. There was no significant difference between the mean duration of smoking between male and females current smokers (p =0.59). There was a significant association between current smoking status and education level (p<0.01 ) and between smoking and peer influence (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in smokers whose parents were smokers as compared to non-smokers whose parents were smokers. In conclusion the prevalence of smoking in Kelantan state in 2004 is lower than the reported prevalence in 1996. However, it is still very high especially in the males.
Key words: Smoking, peer influence, Kelantan
The status ofhve l1eavy metals: cadmium, lead copper, zinc and mercury were determined in seafood and its products imported_ti·om Thailand via Bukit Kayu Hiram, Kedah, Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to determine the level of these heary metals except for mercury, where the cold vapor technique was used, Randomized sampling was done according to a predetermined sampling plan based on the previous years consignments. Data collected were compared with the maximum permitted level of -metal contaminants in fish and fish products- ofthe Fourteenth Schedule (Regulation 38) of Food Act I983 and Food Regulations I 985 to ascertain compliance. lt was noted form this study, that the level of metals detected in seafood and its products had a very wide range, The levels detected for cadmium was at a range of 0. 00] - 3.9/2, 0.07 — 0.29, 0,04 - 4,4 mg/kg in fish, shellfish and cuttlefish respectivelv. In general, cadmium level in some samples was notably higher particularly in shellfish. All samples had lead level less than the permitted value except for fish where the highest value detected was 3.28 mg/kg. The level of copper and zinc was higher than the permitted value in octopus, prawn and crab, Mercury level in all samples analvzed was found to be below the detection level. As for fish samples, zinc level was found to be higher whereas copper was within the limit. However, it was also noted that the level of all the heavy metals in jiozen jish was within the permitted limit.
Land filling is the most common disposal method in most parts of the world and landfill site has always been the final destination in solid waste management hierarchy. Thus, the selection of landfill site is always an essential part in the management of solid waste. Selecting an appropriate site for landfill minimizes any unwarranted ecological and socio-economic effects. Hence, landfill site selection requires a detailed analysis of the area that must be able to meet the local authority requirement and criteria. The present study presents a feasibility assessment of landfill establishment for Khomeynishahr city in Isfahan, applying a multi criteria evaluation (MCE) method using GIS technique. Information layers related to topography, soil, water table, sensitive habitats, land use and geology maps were prepared and superposed using Boolean logic in GIS environment. Essential analysis and regulation, criteria and site selection assessment showed that because of many limitations khomeynishahr city doesn’t have adequate conditions for landfill site establishment. Khomeynishahr city has a dense population and limited area and is not suitable for landfill establishment. In this case consideration of adjacent cities and finding a common landfill site between two or more cities could be a viable solution of solving this problem.
Food borne diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and food poisoning occur as the results of ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated with microorganisms or chemical. The true incidence of food borne disease in Malaysia is unknown, however the incidence is low ranging from 1.56 to 0.14 cases per 100,000 population and the food poisoning cases is on the rise as the evident by the incident rate of 62.47 cases per 100,000 population in 2008 and 36.17 in 2009. The rapid population growth and demographic shift toward ageing population, changing eating habit such as consumption of raw or lightly cooked food, long storage of such food, lack of education on basic rules of hygienic food preparation and food trading without appropriate microbiological safety procedure become contributing factors for food borne diseases. Food borne disease in Malaysia is in the rise and the direct and indirect cost management of FBD will become one of the most common issues to face by the government. The world is spending millions and millions in cost of treatment due to food borne diseases. The information on this paper was collected via findings of previous journals, data and statistics from the MOH of Malaysia and WHO websites. As a result, authors found that the prevention and management of the food borne disease outbreak needs to be addressed seriously.
The effects of children’s exposure on high concentration of airborne pollutants at schools often associated with increased rate of absenteeism, low productivities and learning performances, and development of respiratory problems. Recent studies have found that the presence of occupants in the classroom seems to give major effect towards the elevation of concentration of airborne pollutants in indoors. In order to evaluate and further understand on the significance of occupancy factor on IAQ, this study has been designed to determine and compare the level of selected physical (particulate matter (PM)) and chemical (carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature) IAQ parameters and biological contaminants via colony forming unit (CFUm-3 ) for bacteria and fungi inside the selected classrooms during occupied and non-occupied period (first objective). The second objective is to describe the possible sources of airborne pollutants inside the classrooms at the selected primary schools around Kuantan, Pahang. Assessments of physical and chemical IAQ were done by using instruments known as DustMate Environmental Dust Detector and VelociCalc® MultiFunction Ventilation Meter 9565.The data were recorded every 30 minutes for 8 hours during schooldays and weekend at the selected sampling point in the classrooms. For microbial sampling, Surface Air System Indoor Air Quality (SAS IAQ) was used to capture the bacteria and fungi. The data obtained were compared with the established standard reference known as the Industrial Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (2010) constructed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Malaysia. This study has found that some of the IAQ parameters in the selected classrooms were exceeding the established standards during occupied period in schooldays compared to non-occupied period during weekend. Findings of this study provide the insights for future research including the site selection of school, arrangement of the classrooms and numbers of students per class.
Cooperative learning is one of the active learning techniques. There are three commonly recognized types of
cooperative learning groups, namely informal cooperative learning (ICL), formal cooperative learning and
cooperative base groups. There is no study been done on ICL which relate to radiology teaching. The results of this
study will provide evidence to support either traditional lecture (TL) or ICL is a more suitable teaching method for
radiology teaching. This study was aimed to compare students’ attitude and preference towards TL versus ICL in
radiology teaching. This interventional study had been conducted among 52 third year Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin. They underwent both TL and ICL methods
during eleven radiology lectures in classroom setting from September 2013 until July 2014. Subsequently, multiple
items questionnaires regarding students’ attitude and preferences towards TL and ICL were administered. These
questionnaires had undergone validation process and revealed excellent internal consistency with Cronbach’s Alpha
of 0.90, 0.92 and 0.88 respectively. The mean total attitude score towards informal cooperative learning was (90.90)
(SD: 11.73) significantly higher than the score for traditional lecture 85.46 (SD: 11.82) (p= 0.012). Students showed
preference in ICL significantly in six domains. These domains were active involvement in the class, promotion of good
rapport among classmates, getting an opportunity to help others, facilitation of understanding difficult materials,
improvement of communication skills, opportunity for training to be a good leader and follower, and opportunity for
enabling to participate in sharing information, making decision and problem solving. ICL method is recommended in
radiology teaching because students demonstrated better students’ attitude and preferences in the learning sessions
as compared to TL.
Cigarette smoking is so widespread that even medical workers are not exempted. A cross sectional survey was conducted among health care workers of the Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital Kuala Lumpur to determine the prevalence of smoking and to assess readiness among the current smokers to quit. A total of 165 workers from all categories was surveyed using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire, The survey began in Mac 2002 and ended in April 2002, The survey showed that 24.8% of the workers surveyed were current smokers. Only male workers were found to smoke and the prevalence among them was 60.3%. Majority were moderate smokers, smoking between 10 to 20 cigarettes a day and were mainly lower category of workers, Median age of starting to smoke was 17.6 years, There were 20 smokesr ( 52.6%) who were ready to quit. This study found the prevalence of smoking among male health care workers to be higher than males in the general population. The low level of education of these workers seemed to influence smoking status.
Breast cancer is one of the most frequently encountered malignancies among young females in Malaysia, which accounts for 30.4% of newly diagnosed cancers. All women at or above the age of 20 are considered at risk of developing breast cancer. This is a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in a private medical university in Malaysia during year 2012. Two hundred students were recruited in this study using universal sampling. Data collection was done using a selfadministration questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to assess the association between the practice of breast selfexamination and socio-demographic variables. Only 19.5% of the study sample has sufficient knowledge about BSE which is acquired mostly from local media. Having a family history of malignancy other than breast cancer seems to be the only significant variable associated with knowledge about BSE (P=0.002). Other variables such as demographic data, menstrual history and social history were also tested, but found to be not significant. Frequent community-based awareness programs are needed so that all women can know and practice BSE, which in turn helps to alert the women to any abnormal changes in the breasts so that they will be able to seek medical advice immediately.
Breast Self-Examination (BSE) is a process whereby women examine their breasts regularly to detect any abnormal swelling or lumps in order to seek prompt medical attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of BSE among female non-medical students in UKM, Bangi. A cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered and validated questionnaire among 364 students. The results showed that only 37.1% performs BSE and 45% of the students have good knowledge. Age, marital status, using internet and pamphlets as source of information, personal, and family history of BC, were significantly associated with knowledge level of students. Practice of BSE was significantly associated with knowledge level. From multivariate analysis, BSE was more likely to be done among students with family history, students who using internet and pamphlet as sources of information, also among students with good knowledge. As conclusions, the practice of BSE is inadequate among the respondents in spite of most of them had heard about BSE. The results suggest the need of providing continuing educational programs to increase the knowledge level on BSE which in turn will have a positive effect on students to practice and motivate to perform BSE.
The association between nutrition and cancer in general had been a controversial issue between scientists in the last
three decades, because some argued that there is a relationship and some nutrients can help in preventing cancer
occurrence, although this has not been a consistent finding by other studies. Studies were identified through a
systematic review of literature available on PubMed in between 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2013. We
included all studies that assessed nutrition or diet with occurrence or mortality of breast cancer. Out of 42 articles,
we included 8 articles in our screening and discussion. Among these 8 studies, there were 2 case-controls, 3 cohort
and 3 randomized control trials (RCT) studies. Although most studies reported that nutrition isassociated with
decreased risk, some reported the contrary,whereas others reported no relation. It was demonstrated a conflict
between the included papers in regards of the association between nutrition and breast cancer. These finding needs
to be re-evaluated in future studies.