RESEARCH AIM: This study describes the infant feeding experiences of women living with HIV in Malaysia.
METHODS: From August to October 2021, a nationwide, community-based qualitative study was conducted among women living with HIV and who received care from the Malaysian Ministry of Health. Using purposive sampling, participants who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Interview and focus group transcripts were coded based on a secondary thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Six in-depth interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted among 32 participants. Study participants were mostly Malay secondary school graduates in their 30s and 40s. Due to the fear of vertical transmission, which was explained by healthcare providers to the participants, none of the women breastfed their infants. The three primary themes that emerged from analyzing the women's infant feeding experiences were (1) a human milk substitute was the only option and was encouraged; (2) feeding infants with a human milk substitute made the women feel incomplete as mothers; and (3) the women encountered difficulties in obtaining the subsidized human milk substitute.
CONCLUSION: Women living with HIV in Malaysia have been advised to provide human milk substitutes to their infants in fear of HIV transmission.
DESIGN: A qualitative study involving twelve focus groups.
SETTING: Two secondary schools in the district of Hulu Langat in Selangor, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two adolescents aged 13-14 years.
RESULTS: Adolescents had some understanding regarding healthy eating and were able to relate healthy eating with the concepts of balance and moderation. The adolescents' perceptions of healthy and unhealthy eating were based on food types and characteristics, cooking methods and eating behaviours. Facilitators for healthy eating were parents' control on adolescents' food choices, feeling concern about own health and body, being influenced by other's health condition, and knowledge of healthy or unhealthy eating. On the other hand, barriers for healthy eating were the availability of food at home and school, taste and characteristics of foods, and lack of knowledge on healthy or unhealthy foods.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings contribute to a better understanding of the adolescents' concept of healthy eating, as well as the facilitators and barriers to practising healthy eating. Future interventions should include a method of promoting the immediate benefits of healthy eating, the way to cope with environmental barriers for healthy eating, and increasing the availability of healthy food choices at home and in the school environment. The health and nutrition education programmes should also focus on educating parents, as they can be role models for adolescents to practise more healthful behaviours.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental design using preprogram and postprogram questionnaires over 4 weeks with a control group (n = 75) matched for sex, age group, and socioeconomic disadvantage to program participants (n = 867). General linear mixed models assessed change in food literacy behavior frequency in 3 self-reported domains (plan and manage, selection, and preparation) and fruit and vegetable servings.
RESULTS: Postprogram, Food Sensations for Adults participants reported modest yet statistically significant score improvements in 2 of the 3 domains of food literacy behaviors in the plan and manage (12.4%) and preparation (9.8%) domains, as well as servings of vegetables (22.6% or 0.5 servings).
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Quasi-experimental designs indicate food literacy programs can produce modest short-term changes across a range of food literacy and dietary behaviors.
DESIGN: A qualitative study involving eight focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. Focus groups and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data.
SETTING: Four secondary schools in Perak and Selangor states (two urban and two rural schools) in Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Focus groups were conducted with seventy-six adolescents aged 13-14 years, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four headmasters, four PA education teachers and four food canteen operators.
RESULTS: Stakeholders thought that adolescents' misperceptions, limited availability of healthy options, unhealthy food preferences and affordability were important challenges preventing healthy eating at school. Low-quality physical education (PE) classes, limited adolescent participation and teachers' commitment during lessons were perceived as barriers to adolescents being active at school. Affordability was the main challenge for adolescents from rural schools. Stakeholders perceived that a future school-based intervention should improve the availability and subsidies for healthy foods, provide health education/training for both adolescents and PE teachers, enhance active adolescent participation in PE and develop social support mechanisms to facilitate engagement with PA.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide important insights into developing school-based lifestyle interventions to improve healthy eating and strengthening PA of Malaysian adolescents.
METHODS: We evaluated the association between the dietary intake of 16 food types and AD manifestations using our Singapore/Malaysia Cross-sectional Genetics Epidemiology Study (SMCGES) population. Dietary habits profiles of 11,494 young Chinese adults (1,550 AD cases/2,978 non-atopic controls/6,386 atopic controls) were assessed by an investigator-administered questionnaire. AD cases were further evaluated for their chronicity (550 chronic) and severity (628 moderate-to-severe). Additionally, we derived a novel food index, Quality of Diet based on Glycaemic Index Score (QDGIS), to examine the association between dietary intake of glycaemic index (GI) and various AD phenotypes.
RESULTS: The majority of AD subjects are distributed in the good (37.1%) and moderate (36.2%) QDGIS classes. From the multivariable analyses for age and gender, a moderate QDGIS class was significantly associated with a lower odds of AD (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.844; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.719-0.991; p < 0.05) and moderate-to-severe AD (AOR: 0.839; 95% CI: 0.714-0.985; p < 0.05). A good QDGIS class was only significantly associated with a lower odds of chronic AD (AOR: 0.769; 95% CI: 0.606-0.976; p < 0.05). Among high GI foods, frequent consumption of burgers/fast food was strongly associated with an increased risk of chronic and moderate-to-severe AD. Among low GI foods, increased intake frequencies of fruits, vegetables, and pulses decreased the odds of AD. Finally, we identified significant associations between frequent seafood, margarine, butter, and pasta consumption with an increased odds of AD despite them having little GI values.
CONCLUSION: While genetic components are well-established in their risks associated with increased AD prevalence, there is still a lack of a focus epidemiology study associating dietary influence with AD. Based on the first allergic epidemiology study conducted here in Singapore and Malaysia, it laid the groundwork to guide potential dietary interventions from changing personal dietary habits.