Adolescents are known to obtain information regarding sexual and reproductive health from a variety of sources and not just during formal lessons in schools. This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out to determine the source of information on sexual and reproductive health among Form four secondary schools girls in the Klang Valley as well as parents’ relationship profile. A total of 520 secondary school girls were recruited for the study. In this study, the source of information on puberty and sexual topics were categorized as follows: first level of importance - mothers, second level of importance - siblings, third level of importance - fathers, fourth level of importance - friends, fifth level of importance - teachers and sixth level of importance - books/internet. A majority of respondents agreed that their mothers were the first level of importance they sought for information on puberty (74.8%) and sexual topics (53.8%). Thirty nine point three percent (39.3%) of respondents reported it was very easy to have a dialogue with their mothers while only 10.0% of the respondents said it was very easy to have a dialogue with their fathers. While this was the case, only 6.3% of the respondents reported discussing sex-related matter with their mothers.
Proper driving requires a proper posture to bring comfort to drivers. A problem that commonly exists in driving is
incorrect driving posture which can cause discomfort to the driver, especially when interacting with automotive
pedals. Research on fatigue of Soleus muscle on driver's posture based on the knee angle more than 144º in a
position of pressing and releasing a pedal was conducted to investigate and overcome this problem. This is a field
experiment study and surface electromyography (sEMG) is used in collecting data on the Soleus muscle. The
procedure of collecting data on the Soleus muscle before and after experiments follows the Surface
Electromyography for the Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscles (SENIAM) recommendation. The result of the
experiments shows that there is a strong positive relationship between driver's postures in nature based on the angle
of the knee with Soleus muscle contraction, where the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) is .890. While the muscle
fatigue index based on value MDF (MNF) in position of pressing a pedal. The results show that the Soleus muscle
fatigue occurs when the foot pressing a pedal on MVC-normalized 60%. This is because the value of MDF (MNF) there
is displacement of decrease of frequency MDF (MNF), from 130.21 Hz (313.42 Hz) to 127.60 Hz (312.49 Hz). The
increase in the knee angle will directly provide discomfort to the driver while interacting with the pedal; and this is
due to Soleus muscle fatigue.
Safe driving requires an ideal posture to bring comfort to drivers. A problem that commonly exists in driving is nonideal
driving posture, which can cause discomfort to the driver, especially when interacting with automotive pedals.
Research on contraction of Soleus muscle on driver's posture based on the knee angle more than 144º in a position of
pressing and releasing a pedal was conducted to investigate and overcome this problem. This is a field experimental
study and surface electromyography (sEMG) is used in collecting data on the Soleus muscle. The procedure of
collecting data on the Soleus muscle before and after experiments follows the Surface Electromyography for the
Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscles (SENIAM) recommendations. The result from the experiment shows that there is
a strong positive relationship between driver's postures in nature based upon the angle at the knee with Soleus
muscle contraction, where the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) is .990. While the temporal analysis measurements
based on Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC) 60% in a position of pressing a pedal exceeding rms µV
25.34, and 25.47 respectively. On the other hand, MVIC 3% rms µV values: 1.18, 1.21 and 1.26 are obtained from the
position of releasing the pedal. The knee angle with Soleus muscle contractions is significant [F (1, 10) = 38.06,
p
Worldwide prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents increased substantially over decades. Addressing potential risk factors of obesity among adolescents is very important for a successful intervention program in this population. The present study aimed to identify the sociodemographic determinants of obesity among school adolescents in Terengganu. A cross-sectional survey involving 3,798 school adolescents age 12 years old from 136 government primary schools in Kuala Terengganu and Besut districts were carried out from November 2014 to June 2015. For the purpose of this paper, the data for 2,842 school adolescents classified as either normal BMI (< +1SD) (n= 2,305) or obese (+2SD) (n= 537) based on WHO cut-off points were taken for analysis. Sociodemographic information on subjects and their parents were obtained from self-reported questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were conducted by Physical Education teachers and uploaded into a specific developed database. The prevalence of obesity was relatively high in both genders in this study. Binary logistic regression analysis found gender, parental BMI, household income, household size and maternal working status were independently associated with obesity among school adolescents in this population. In the final model, being male, having working mother, and having obese parents were identified to be potential risk factors for obesity whilst having large household size lower the risk of obesity among these adolescents. Prevention programs are needed to increase awareness about the risk factors of obesity in adolescent and interventions should now focus on family member as well mainly the parents.
Worldwide prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents increased substantially over decades. Addressing potential risk factors of obesity among adolescents is very important for a successful intervention program in this population. The present study aimed to identify the sociodemographic determinants of obesity among school adolescents in Terengganu. A cross-sectional survey involving 3,798 school adolescents age 12 years old from 136 government primary schools in Kuala Terengganu and Besut districts were carried out from November 2014 to June 2015. For the purpose of this paper, the data for 2,842 school adolescents classified as either normal BMI (< +1SD) (n= 2,305) or obese (+2SD) (n= 537) based on WHO cut-off points were taken for analysis. Sociodemographic information on subjects and their parents were obtained from self-reported questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were conducted by Physical Education teachers and uploaded into a specific developed database. The prevalence of obesity was relatively high in both genders in this study. Binary logistic regression analysis found gender, parental BMI, household income, household size and maternal working status were independently associated with obesity among school adolescents in this population. In the final model, being male, having working mother, and having obese parents were identified to be potential risk factors for obesity whilst having large household size lower the risk of obesity among these adolescents. Prevention programs are needed to increase awareness about the risk factors of obesity in adolescent and interventions should now focus on family member as well mainly the parents.
Patients with chronic heart failure suffer from undesirable effects in their daily activities. Effective self-care management in conjunction with social support gives improved the wellbeing of patients with chronic heart failure. This study determines social support and self-care management among patients with chronic heart failure. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Cardiology Clinic in Hospital Serdang, Selangor from April 2014 to June 2014. A questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, MOS Social Survey and Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) was distributed to a total of 113 respondents. The results show moderately high level of social support (3.51±0.89) and level of self-care management (160.49±44.39). For instance, social support and self-care management were not statistically significant with the demographic characteristics (p>0.05). There was a positive correlation between social support and self-care management (r=0.263, p<0.05) and the findings suggest that social support should be considered a predictor in self-care management of patients with chronic heart failure.
Keywords: social support, self-care management, patient(s), chronic heart failure
Study site: Cardiology Clinic in Hospital Serdang, Selango
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 stated that everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Equity, solidarity and social justice are understood as basic characteristics of universal access to social health protection founded on burden sharing, risk pooling, empowerment and participation. It is up to national governments and institutions to put these values into practice. The financing of social health protection can be through a mixture of taxation and contributions to public and mandated private insurance. Through risk pooling, these funds provide for equity, solidarity and affordability of services. According to International Labour Organization (ILO), ultimate objective in social health protection is to achieve universal social health protection coverage defined as effective access to affordable health care of adequate quality and financial protection. Social protection plays a vital part in reducing the vulnerability of the poor so that they can fruitfully access health and education services.
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
Comparison of rates of smoking across countries revealed that students are more likely to begin smoking in medical school than to give it up and increase their cigarette consumption rather than decrease it. A cross-sectional survey of all consenting medical students in a private medical university in north Malaysia was conducted in 2008 to determine the prevalence and smoking habits among them. A self administered questionnaire which was returned to the investigators in a sealed envelope was used. Results were tabulated and analysed with SPSS version 13.0 software. The response rate was 83.3% (508/610). The prevalence rate for current smokers was 5.3% (27/508) and for ever smokers 9.3% (47/508). Factors significantly associated with smoking were gender (p<0.001), age group (p<0.001) and family income (p=0.003). The odds of being a smoker was 14 folds high when a family member smoked and the odds of being an ever smoker was almost 6 folds more when a family member smoked. Friends were the most common influence to start smoking and the most common reason to stop smoking among ever smokers. The reasons for not smoking among the never smokers were health concerns and the distasteful smell of cigarettes. A module on how to help medical students to stop smoking should be included in the curriculum of every medical school. This will not only help them become good educators but will prevent them from picking up the habit. Educational intervention should also include family members who smoke.
Key words: smoking, medical students, university, Malaysia
Despite awareness of the detrimental effects of smoking, many adolescents initiate or continue to smoke. One possible explanation for smoking 13 the belief that it can control body weight. The objective of this study was to determine the association between Body Mass Index and smoking among Malay adolescents in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A cross·sectional study was conducted between January to June 2005 among 1364 students selected from ten co»educational government secondary schools in Kota Bharu using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Guided self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurement were taken. Data was entered using SPSS 12.0 and analysed using STATA 8.0. The overall prevalence of smoking was 6. 7%. The prevalence of smoking among boys was 13.8% and among girls was 1.1%. There was no association between Body Mass Index and smoking. However, the findings may not be generalized to out-of·school youth and other ethnic groups in this country. The study was not conducted anonymously and the use of questionnaire to report smoking status can lead to measurement bias. Strategies aimed at correcting the belief that smoking can reduce weight should be included as one of the components in the prevention of smoking.
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.
The high morbidity and mortality caused by smoking is a major public health problem today. Smoking prevention has been acknowledged and identified as a long-term measure to overcome this problem. This is a longitudinal knowledge; attitude and practice (KAP) study among form five students over l year. The response rate at follow‘up was 251/337 (74.5 %). The smoking prevalence changed after 1 year (from 29.7% to 26. 7%) after one year. The male to female smoking rates were 52.1% to 3.1% respectively. Students who smoke were found to have a positive attitude as well as poor knowledge of the risks of smoking. The initiation risk factors identified were being male and having a friend who smokes Positive peer influence also contributed to smoking cessation after a period of one year. Holistic measures that stress on micro macro and approaches such as health education programe to enhance knowledge of smoking hazards and community participation ( cooperation of school, family and community member) should be fomtulated in order to reduce initiation of smoking among the adolescents. Quit smoking programmes must also be readily available.
This study on anthropometrics of Primary School children from grade 1 to 5 in Peninsular Malaysia involves 2310 students aged seven to eleven years old. The objectives were to analyze the differentiation of anthropometrics between children of grades 1 to 5 and grouping them to suitable levels in which they are appropriate to propose chair dimensions. A multi-stage sampling method was used, and rural and urban areas were also included in providing anthropometric database that represents the whole Peninsular Malaysia population. There were six dimensions measured in this study, which are sitting shoulder, sitting subscapular height, sitting elbow height, hip width, buttock-popliteal length and popliteal height. All the measurements were chosen to represent dimensions needed to construct ergonomic school chair. From the results, ANOVA showed p-values of
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) and other factors contributing to probable mental health problems among university laboratory staffs. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 264 laboratory staffs in UPM. Data was collected using validated self-administrated questionnaires consists of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and SBS. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. In total, about 28% of the participants reported having probable mental health problems. The prevalence of SBS was 31.4%. After controlling for confounders, the significant factors for probable mental health problems were job insecurity (AOR 2.33, 95% CI 0.212- 0.867), job demand (AOR 1.12, 95% CI 0.445-0.921), fatigue (AOR 0.94, 95% CI 0.162-1.425), drowsiness (AOR 0.75, 95% CI 1.023-4.647) and household income (AOR 0.339, 95% CI0.166-0.995).Results visibly showed that psychosocial factors and symptoms of SBS at their working environment contribute to probable mental health problems among laboratory staffs. The strongest predictors in this study were job insecurity. Hence, further assessment and preventive measures should be carried out to reduce the risk factors of probable mental health problems and to improve working environment among university laboratory staffs.
A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the perception of Hospital Directors in performing clinical duties. This was done through a postal survey which was conducted covering all public hospitals in Malaysia. The majority of Hospital Directors had read the circular at the time of the study and agreed to do clinical work besides managerial duties. Before the issuance of the directive, the majority of those directors were already doing some clinical work. However they disagreed that by doing clinical work they could help overcome the problem of shortage of doctors. They agreed that the duration of 10 hours per week is suitable to do clinical duties. In term of confidence in giving curative treatment, the Hospital Directors especially those from district hospitals without specialists were confident in giving curative care to individuals. As for the clinicians, the majority felt that the implementation of the directive for Hospital Directors to do clinical work will not disrupt the clinicians' routine duties.
Study site: University Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Four hundred and thirty five (435) cases 0f sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were notified from 20 (twenty) primary care clinics throughout Malaysia from June 1999 till September 2000 using the syndromic approach of STI management, adapted by the Ministry of Health based upon the criteria set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Gonorrhoea was the most prevalent STI reported (30.34 %), followed by candidiasis (28.05%), syphilis (15.17%) and non-specific urethritis (NSU) — 14.02%) . As seen in most other parts of the world, the younger age groups (those between twenty and thirty nine years old) were found to be more commonly infected with STIs. Initial analysis shows that systematic data collection based on the syndromes and clear—case definitions (algorithms for the syndromic approach} need to be developed and added further to the current manual that is being developed for the health and medical staff at the operational it level. Exploration and expansion of behavioural surveillance research, management information systems of the syndromic approach, and development of new or additional strategies in the manual for the staff too, also need improvement. The Ministry of Health is also concerned about the quantity and quality of the available data based upon syndromic management of STI as compared to laboratory based criteria. Since this programme is very much client centered, the adoption of this approach generally might offer substantial improvements in the quality and effectiveness of STI care, either within the public or the private health care settings in Malaysia.
Overweight during adolescence has many psychological consequences and low self·esteem is the immediate detrimental effect observed. Adolescents with low self»esteem are at risk for many emotional and behavioural disorders while high self-esteem adolescents experience an incremental improvement in their quality of life. The objective of this study was to compare seh'-esteem between overweight and non-overweight Malay adolescents in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January to ]une 2005 among 1364 students selected from ten co-educational government secondary schools in Kota Bharu using stratified multistage cluster sampling. A set of guided self-administered questionnaire which included a Malaysian version of Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Body Mass Index measurement was used. Data was entered using SPSS 12.0 and analysed using STATA 8. O. The prevalence of overweight among secondary school students in Kota Bharu was 12.5% and there was no significant difference in self-esteem between overweight and non-overweight students. However, the findings may not be generalized to out-of-school youth and other ethnic groups in this country. Infomation on other modifers, such as parental acceptance or lack of concern regarding the child’ obesity was not elicited in this study. It is an important protective factor for self-esteem and need to be included in future studies.
In recent years, there has been concern that non-smokers may also be at risk from secondhand smoke exposure, especially children. This study was done to determine the prevalence of secondhand smoke exposure at home and the association between secondhand smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms among primary schoolchildren in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. This was a comparative cross-sectional study involving children, aged 10·12 years. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the information on sociodemographic, respiratory symptoms and smokers in the house. A random sample of 10 from 95 primary schools in Kota Bharu was included. Six classes were randomly selected from each school, two classes each from each school year of primary 4·6. A total of 795 children completed the questionnaire during September 2003 till March 2004. 386 of children (48.6%) were boys and 409 children (51.4%) were girls. Most of the children were Malay (99.9%). A total of 442 (55.6%) children lived with at least 1 smoker in the house mainly from the smoking fathers. Significantly increased odds ratios due to secondhand smoke exposure were observed for most of the respiratory symptoms. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.67 (1.18, 2.39) for cough in the morning, 1.59 (1.10, 2.30) for cough at night, 1.76 (1.16, 2.65) for cough most days for the previous 3 months, 1.57 (1.14, 2.17) for phlegm in the morning, 1.49 (1.08, Z.07) for phlegm during daytime or at night, 1.38 (1.03, 1.86) for nose problems in the morning, 1.40 (1.03, 1.90) for nose problems at night and 1.78 (1.14, 2.78) for throat problems at night, 1.55 (1.06, 2.26) for ever wheeze or diagnosed asthma by doctor, 1.57 (1.05, 2.36) for throat problems in the morning and 1.81 (1.15, 2.85) for throat problems during daytime. The odds ratios increased with increasing number of smokers at home for cough in the morning, cough most days for the previous 3 months, phlegm in the morning, ever wheeze or diagnosed asthma by doctor, throat problems in the morning, throat problems during daytime and throat problems at night. In view of the significant health risks posed to children by secondhand smoke, public health policies are needed to protect this vulnerable population. The aim of such policies Ls to ensure the right of every child to grow up in an environment free of tobacco smoke.
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.
Rubella is an acute and contagious disease which is mainly characterized by fever, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy. This contagious disease spreads easily through nasopharyngeal secretions, droplet or direct contact with patients. Meanwhile clinical features of scarlet fever include a sore throat, skin rash and strawberry tongue. A descriptive study was conducted to describe the epidemiological characteristic of diseases at a Training Camp in Mersing. Data obtained on demographic details, onset and time of fever and rash or contact with ill person 14 to 21 days prior to symptoms. Screening and interview conducted for all suspected cases of Rubella. 47.4% of the cases presented on 5th June 2012 followed by 15.8% on 11th June 2012 and 13.5% on 12th June 2012. Maculo papular rash was the predominant presenting symptom among students with acute infection in this outbreak (100%) followed by fever (36.8%). Measles specific IgM was not detected in the serum taken but rubella specific IgM was detected in 66.7% (6/19) of samples. 55% (11/20) were positive for ASOT. 4 trainees had Rubella and Scarlet Fever co-infection. It was found out that the outbreak occurred among 391 residents in the camp who shared common places for activities such as lecture, physical activity and meal. Rapid dissemination was due to overcrowded environment and close contact during common activities of the residents. Theoretically co-infection would be presented with severe clinical symptoms but not in this outbreak where all affected trainees only presented with mild fever and rashes.