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Reliability and validity of the National Institutes of Health: Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index in a Malaysian population

Cheah PY, Liong ML, Yuen KH, Lee S, Yang JR, Teh CL, et al.

World J Urol, 2006 Feb;24(1):79-87.
PMID: 16465553 DOI: 10.1007/s00345-005-0037-z

The objective of the study is to determine the short- and long-term utility of the Chinese, Malay and English versions of the National Institutes of Health--Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) in our ethnically diverse population. The NIH-CPSI was translated into Chinese and Malay, and then verified by back translation into English. Subjects included 100 new chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain (CP/CPPS) patients, 71 new benign prostatic hyperplasia patients and 97 healthy individuals. Reliability was evaluated with test-retest reproducibility (TR) by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Internal consistency was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha (alpha). Validity assessments included discriminant and construct validity. (Presented in the order of Chinese, Malay then English). ICC values for short-term (1 week) TR were 0.90, 0.80 and 0.89, while ICC values for long-term (14 weeks) TR were 0.54, 0.61 and 0.61. Cronbach's alpha values were 0.63, 0.62 and 0.57. The NIH-CPSI total score discriminated CP/CPPS patients (P<0.001) from the control groups with receiver operating curve values of 0.95, 0.98 and 0.94, respectively. Construct validity, reflected by the correlation coefficient values between the International Prostate Symptom Score and the NIH-CPSI of CP/CPPS patients were 0.72, 0.49 and 0.63 (all P<0.05). The Chinese, Malay and English versions of the NIH-CPSI each proved effective in our population. Short-term TR and discriminant validity were excellent for all three versions. However, long-term TR was only moderate, which might reflect variation in patients' perceptions of symptoms over time.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status Indicators*
Factors associated with adult poisoning in northern Malaysia: a case-control study

Fathelrahman AI, Ab Rahman AF, Zain ZM, Tengku MA

Hum Exp Toxicol, 2006 Apr;25(4):167-73.
PMID: 16696291

Data on adult risk factors associated with drug or chemical poisonings in Malaysia are scarce. The objective of the study was to identify possible risk factors associated with adult admissions to the Penang General Hospital (PGH) due to chemical poisoning and/or drug overdose. The present study was a case-control study, conducted over 18 weeks. One hundred acutely poisoned adult patients admitted to PGH during the period from September 2003 to February 2004 were considered as cases. Two hundred patients admitted to the same medical wards for other illnesses, during the same period, were matched for age and gender with the poisoned cases and thus selected as controls. McNemar test and binary logistic were used for univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis for multivariate analyses. The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for each predictor variable. Positive histories of psychiatric illness and previous poisoning, problems in boy/girl friend relationships, family problems, marital problems, Indian ethnicity, Chinese ethnicity, living in rented houses and living in a household with less than five people were significant risk factors associated with adult admissions due to poisoning.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Diet, nutritional knowledge and health status of urban middle-aged Malaysian women

Pon LW, Noor-Aini MY, Ong FB, Adeeb N, Seri SS, Shamsuddin K, et al.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2006;15(3):388-99.
PMID: 16837432

The objective of the study was to assess nutritional and health status as well as nutritional knowledge in urban middle-aged Malaysian women. The impact of menopause on diet and health indices was also studied. The study included 360 disease free women, non users of HRT,aged > or =45 years with an intact uterus recruited from November 1999 to October 2001. Personal characteristics, anthropometric measurements and blood sample were acquired followed by clinical examination. Nutrient intake and nutritional knowledge was determined by a quantitative FFQ and KAP. The findings showed that urban middle-aged women, aged 51.65+/-5.40 years had energy intakes (EI) 11% below RDA, consisting of 53% carbohydrates, 15% protein and a 32% fat which declined with age. The sample which comprised of 42.5% postmenopausal women had a satisfactory diet and healthy lifestyle practices. Premenopausal women consumed more dietary fat (6%) with other aspects of diet comparable to the postmenopausal women. Iron intake was deficient in premenopausal women, amounting to 56% RDA contributing to a 26% prevalence of anaemia. Overall, calcium intake reached 440 mg daily but dairy products were not the main source. The postmenopaused had a more artherogenic lipid profile with significantly higher total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C, but more premenopausal women were overweight/obese (49% versus 35%). EI was the strongest predictor for BMI and waist circumference (WC), with WC itself an independent predictor of fasting blood sugar and TC with BMI strongly affecting glucose tolerance. High nutritional knowledge was seen in 39% whereas 20% had poor knowledge. Newspapers and magazines, followed by the subject's social circle, were the main sources of nutritional information. Nutritional knowledge was positively associated with education, household income, vitamin/ mineral supplementation and regular physical activity but inversely related to TC. In conclusion, middle-aged urban women had an adequate diet with low iron and calcium intakes. Nutritional knowledge was positively associated to healthier lifestyle practices and lower TC. A comparable nutrient intake and lifestyle between pre and postmenopausal women suggested that health changes associated with menopause was largely independent of diet.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status*
Fulltext Lifestyle intervention improved nutritional knowledge, dietary composition and health status of midlife Malaysian women

Noor-Aini, M.Y., Pon, L.W., Ong, F.B., Adeeb, N., Seri, S.S., Shamsuddin, K., et al.

Malays J Nutr, 2006;12(2):125-146.
MyJurnal

Lifestyle has been shown to exert a major impact on the quality of life and health in mid-life women coping with menopausal changes. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a lifestyle intervention package in improving nutritional knowledge and composition, dietary habits and related health status in mid-life women. Between Nov 1999 to Oct 2001, 360 disease free women, non users of HRT, aged 45 years and above with intact uterus were recruited into the study. The women were randomised into three groups - I (control), II (lifestyle intervention) and III (lifestyle intervention with HRT) respectively. After 12 months, 85.6% completed the study. The lifestyle intervention programme, well accepted by the participants, brought about an improved dietary composition, better eating habits, more exercise participation and increment in knowledge with concomitant improvement of the health status. The benefits observed were significant reduction in energy, fat and carbohydrate intake with increased intake of legumes; milk and cheese/yogurt; and reduction of tea and coffee. Body weight was reduced and more importantly preventing abdominal obesity in the intervention groups with HRT was more effective. Further adaptations of the dietary component with advice on obtaining micronutrients from local produce would contribute towards a more balanced diet in midlife women as dairy products were not popular and these women had low meat intake.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Fulltext Interdisciplinary research on impaired mobility, disability and rehabilitation in Selangor

Manderson, L., Zaliha, O., Rameezan, B.A.R., Nooreini, A.H., Soh, S.B., Disler, P.

JUMMEC, 2006;9(2):12-17.
MyJurnal

Demographic, economic and social changes have had major impact on health and illness globally, including in Malaysia, and present significant challenges to the structure and delivery of health services. While these changes have influenced the epidemiology of disease, the diagnosis, experience and response to changes in health status for individuals and their families are influenced by additional environmental and personal factors. We describe these factors in relation to our ongoing research program on personal and social aspects of impairment and disability. The Resilience study aims to understand how people with impairments and their families live with chronic health conditions, how these conditions impact on self-esteem, social relationships and societal participation, and how structure, context and environment affect individual functioning, disability and well-being. We described our methodology and summarize the baseline data that will inform our future enquiries.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
The influence of ethnicity on health-related quality of life in diabetes mellitus: a population-based, multiethnic study

Wee HL, Li SC, Cheung YB, Fong KY, Thumboo J

J Diabetes Complications, 2006;20(3):170-8.
PMID: 16632237 DOI: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2005.06.010

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate the influence of ethnicity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in diabetic participants using both profile [the Short-Form 36 (SF-36)] and single-index (the SF-6D) instruments and to evaluate the usefulness of the SF-6D as a summary measure for the SF-36.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using data from a cross-sectional, population-based survey of Chinese, Malay, and Indians in Singapore, we analyzed the influence of ethnicity and other variables on each SF-36 scale and SF-6D scores using linear regression models to adjust for the influence of known determinants of HRQoL.
RESULTS: Data from 309 diabetic respondents were analyzed. Compared with other ethnicities, Indians were most likely to report impaired HRQoL. The unadjusted influence of ethnicity on HRQoL exceeded the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for all SF-36 scales (MCID: 5 points) and the SF-6D (MCID: 0.033 points). After adjusting for gender, age, and education, the influence of Chinese ethnicity exceeded the MCID for all SF-36 scales, except vitality (VT) and mental health (MH), as well as for the SF-6D. The influence of Malay ethnicity exceeded the MCID only for the SF-36 MH scale and the SF-6D. The influence of ethnicity on HRQoL persisted after adjusting further for other determinants of HRQoL. The SF-6D reflected the ethnic trends for some but not all SF-36 scales.
CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and other factors known to influence HRQoL, ethnicity remained an important factor influencing HRQoL in this population-based multiethnic sample of diabetic Asians. Further studies to identify modifiable factors explaining the ethnic disparities in HRQoL among diabetic participants are needed. The SF-6D may be a useful summary measure for the SF-36.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status Indicators*
General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression. A study with Malaysian medical students

Swami V, Chamorro-Premuzic T, Sinniah D, Maniam T, Kannan K, Stanistreet D, et al.

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2007 Feb;42(2):161-6.
PMID: 17180631

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between life satisfaction, loneliness, general health and depression among 172 medical students in Malaysia.
METHOD: Participants completed a questionnaire battery, which included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale.
RESULTS: Life satisfaction was negatively and significantly correlated with suicidal attitudes, loneliness and depression; and positively with health, which was negatively and significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. Self-concept was negatively correlated with loneliness and depression, depression was positively and significantly correlated with loneliness. Mediational analyses showed that the effects of loneliness and life dissatisfaction on depression were fully mediated by health.
CONCLUSION: Even though less satisfied, and particularly lonelier, individuals are more likely to report higher levels of depression, this is only the case because both higher loneliness and life dissatisfaction are associated with poorer health. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in developing nations.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status*; Health Status Indicators
Fulltext Dietary calcium and bone mineral density in premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus

Chong HC, Chee SS, Goh EM, Chow SK, Yeap SS

Clin Rheumatol, 2007 Feb;26(2):182-5.
PMID: 16565892 DOI: 10.1007/s10067-006-0258-6

The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between dietary calcium intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on corticosteroids (CS). The secondary aim was to identify other risk factors for osteoporosis in these patients. A cross-sectional sample of patients attending the SLE Clinic at a teaching hospital was recruited. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Daily dietary calcium intake was assessed using a structured validated food frequency questionnaire, in which patients were asked to estimate their food intake based on their recent 2-month dietary habits. Sixty subjects were recruited with a mean age of 33.70+/-8.46 years. The median duration of CS use was 5.5 years (range 0.08-24). The median cumulative dose of steroids was 17.21 g (range 0.16-91.37). The median daily dietary calcium intake was 483 mg (range 78-2101). There was no significant correlation between calcium intake and BMD, even after correcting for CS use. There were also no correlations between BMD and the duration of SLE, cumulative CS use, duration of CS use, smoking, alcohol intake, and SLE disease activity index score. Twenty-eight (46.7%) patients had normal BMD, 28 (46.7%) had osteopenia, and four (6.6%) had osteoporosis. Duration of SLE significantly correlated with cumulative CS dosage. In conclusion, 6.7% of these Asian premenopausal SLE women had osteoporosis and only 46.7% had normal BMD. Daily dietary calcium intake did not correlate with BMD.
Study site: SLE clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Health imperatives in foreign policy: the case of Malaysia

Barraclough S, Phua KL

Bull World Health Organ, 2007 Mar;85(3):225-9.
PMID: 17486215

Malaysia's global, regional and bilateral international health relations are surveyed against the historical backdrop of the country's foreign policy. Malaysia has always participated in multilateral agencies, most notably the World Health Organization, as such agencies are part of the longstanding fabric of "good international citizenship". The threats of infectious diseases to human health and economic activity have caused an intensification and an organizational formalization of Malaysian health diplomacy, both regionally and bilaterally. Such diplomacy has also established a basis for developing a wider set of cooperative relationships that go beyond responding to the threat of pandemics. As Malaysia approaches "developed" status, its health sector is becoming increasingly integrated into the global economy through joint research and development ventures and transnational investment. At the same time, it will have the technological, financial and human resources to play an expanded altruistic role in global and regional health.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Singapore Malay and Tamil versions of the EQ-5D

Wee HL, Loke WC, Li SC, Fong KY, Cheung YB, Machin D, et al.

Ann Acad Med Singap, 2007 Jun;36(6):403-8.
PMID: 17597964

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to cross-culturally adapt and evaluate the validity of the Singaporean Malay and Tamil versions of the EQ-5D.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The EQ- 5D was cross-culturally adapted and translated using an iterative process following standard guidelines. Consenting adult Malay- and Tamil-speaking subjects at a primary care facility in Singapore were interviewed using a questionnaire (including the EQ-5D, a single item assessing global health, the SF-8 and sociodemographic questions) in their respective language versions. Known-groups and convergent construct validity of the EQ-5D was investigated by testing 30 a priori hypotheses per language at attribute and overall levels.
RESULTS: Complete data were obtained for 94 Malay and 78 Indian patients (median age, 54 years and 51 years, respectively). At the attribute level, all 16 hypotheses were fulfilled with several reaching statistical significance (Malay: 4; Tamil: 5). At the overall level, 42 of 44 hypotheses related to the EQ-5D/ EQ-VAS were fulfilled (Malay: 22; Tamil: 20), with 21 reaching statistical significance (Malay: 9; Tamil: 12).
CONCLUSION: In this study among primary care patients, the Singapore Malay and Tamil EQ-5D demonstrated satisfactory known-groups and convergent validity.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status*
Cross-cultural adaptation of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) for the Malaysian adult population

Saub R, Locker D, Allison P, Disman M

Community Dent Health, 2007 Sep;24(3):166-75.
PMID: 17958078

The aim of this project was to develop an oral health related-quality of life measure for the Malaysian adult population aged 18 and above by the cross-cultural adaption the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP).

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Fulltext Intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin for the treatment of wrist and finger spasticity after stroke

Jahangir AW, Tan HJ, Norlinah MI, Nafisah WY, Ramesh S, Hamidon BB, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):319-22.
PMID: 18551937 MyJurnal

Botulinum toxin is effective in reducing spasticity post stroke. As there are limited data on post stroke spasticity in Asia, we undertake this study to determine the effectiveness and safety of intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A), in the treatment of chronic focal post-stroke hand spasticity, and the impact of BTX-A on the activities of daily living and quality of life, in comparison to placebo, in Malaysian stroke patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of BTX-A in 27 subjects with wrist and finger spasticity after a stroke. The outcome measures were assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) to assess spasticity of the flexor muscles, Barthel Index (BI) for activities of daily living and EQ-5D and EQ VAS for quality of life. Assessments were performed at baseline and 1 and 3 months after injection. Compared to placebo, the BTX-A group had greater improvement in the flexor tone of the wrist and fingers (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), at first month follow-up visit and sustained the improvement through to three months. Although there was an improvement in the measures of global function and quality of life in the BTX-A group, there was no significant improvement in between the two groups. No serious BTX-A related adverse effects were reported. The results of this study demonstrate that intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin A is safe and effective in the treatment of chronic focal post-stroke spasticity of the hand.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status Indicators
Fulltext Primary intracerebral haemorrhage in Malaysia: in-hospital mortality and outcome in patients from a hospital based registry

Sia SF, Tan KS, Waran V

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):308-12.
PMID: 18551935 MyJurnal

Primary intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) results in significant morbidity and mortality among patients. There is a paucity of epidemiological data on this condition in Malaysia. The purpose of this hospital based study was to define the clinical profile in patients with primary spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage at University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and to determine the mortality rate of intracerebral haemorrhage at the time of discharge, the prognostic factors and one year outcome of this cohort of patients. Sixty-six patients were admitted at the Neurosurgical unit of University of Malaya Medical Centre for a period of 13 months from March 2002 to March 2003. Fifty percent of the subjects were female. The mean age was 61.6 +/- 16.7 years. Among our patients with intracerebral haemorrhage, the common risk factors were: hypertension (80.3%), diabetes mellitus (25.7%) and smoking (27.2%). Common presenting features for our series were: weakness (61.8%), LOC (58.5%), headache (56.3%) and speech disturbances (45.3%). On neuroimaging, the lesions were seen in basal ganglia/thalamus (45.1%), lobar (32.9%), brainstem (13.4%) and cerebelli (8.5%). The overall 30 days mortality rate for intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) was 43.9%. The important predictors of for mortality were the GCS score on admission (p < 0.0001), haematoma volume > 30 mls (p < 0.0001), evidence of intraventricular extension (p = 0.011) and ICH score (p < 0.0001). At one year follow up, 48.5% (n = 32) were dead, 33.3% (n = 11) obtained good recovery, 36.4% (n = 12) moderate disability, 18.2% (n = 6) severe disability and 3% remain vegetative state. The overall mortality rate for our series of patients with primary intracerebral haemorrhage is quite similar to previously published epidemiological studies. ICH scoring is useful in the prognostication.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status; Health Status Indicators
Fulltext Soluble transferrin receptor, ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor--Ferritin index in assessment of anaemia in rheumatoid arthritis

Pavai S, Jayaranee S, Sargunan S

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):303-7.
PMID: 18551934

Anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) is a frequent complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A diagnostic difficulty in RA is the distinction between iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and ACD. The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and sTfR/log ferritin (TfR-F) index to diagnose iron deficiency in RA patients with anaemia. Routine laboratory indices of anaemia and sTfR were measured in 20 healthy persons to form the control group, 30 patients with iron deficiency anaemia and 28 RA patients with anaemia. Serum sTfR levels were significantly elevated above the cut-off value in patients with IDA and those in the iron depleted RA subgroup (ferritin < 60 microg/L) compared with those in the control and iron repleted RA subgroup (ferritin > 60 microg/L). The same was observed for TfR-F index. However, five patients in the iron repleted RA sub group had an elevated sTfR level, of which two had increased TfR-F index. Serum sTfR correlated well with the markers of anaemia and not with ESR. Ferritin had no correlation with markers of anaemia but correlated well with ESR. Measurement of sTfR and TfR-F index are good indicators of iron deficiency in RA patients with anaemia. To be cost effective, sTfR can be estimated in RA patients with anaemia when the ferritin level is more than 60 microg/L.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status; Health Status Indicators
Fulltext Poverty and health development

Yadav H

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Oct;62(4):278-81.
PMID: 18551928 MyJurnal
Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Fulltext Mental health, pregnancy and self-rated health in antenatal women attending primary health clinics

Sonkusare S, Adinegara, Hebbar S

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Dec;62(5):402-8.
PMID: 18705476 MyJurnal

The purpose of this study was to study the determinants of self rated health in the low-risk pregnant women of Melaka Tengah in Malaysia. A total of 387 subjects were analysed. The role of mental health, psychosocial stressors, support from husband, coping skills, socio-economic status and pregnancy characteristics in determining self- rated health were studied. Health items were taken from the Duke Health Profile. Bad obstetric history, poor mental health, stress from the family were found to be significantly associated with poor self - rated health whereas good support from the husband was related to good self - rated health.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status*
The effect of disease activity on fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis versus noninflammatory arthropathies/soft tissue rheumatism

Arshad A, Rashid R, Benjamin K

Mod Rheumatol, 2007;17(6):470-5.
PMID: 18084698 DOI: 10.1007/s10165-007-0628-1

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic joint disease of undetermined cause that is associated with significant disability. Low-grade fever, anemia, and weight loss are recognized extra-articular features associated with increased disease activity. Weight loss and cachexia are well-established features of RA. The mechanism behind weight loss in RA is not known and may be multifactorial. Reduced energy intake and hypermetabolism are the major two factors frequently implicated in the etiology of RA cachexia. One would expect the effect of the above two factors to be highest during increased disease activity and lowest during remission. The purpose of this study was: (a) to establish whether in RA patients changes in body composition mirror changes in disease activity, (b) to investigate the relation between the energy expenditures and weight loss, (c) to examine the dietary energy intake and its role in weight loss in RA patients, and (d) to investigate the relation between the cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and other variables including resting energy expenditure (REE), body composition, and acute phase reactants. Fourteen patients with RA were age-, sex-, and race-matched with 14 controls from patients with noninflammatory diseases/soft tissue rheumatism. The measurements included the following: disease activity assessment, anthropometric measurements, indirect calorimetry, and measurements of dietary intake. Blood was collected to measure the acute-phase reactants and IL-6 levels. We demonstrated that loss of fat-free mass (FFM) might accelerate during times of increased disease activity and is only partially restored during periods of reduced disease activity. This probably means that the extent of cachexia in RA patients is determined by the frequency and intensity of disease activity (flare) for a given disease duration. Hypermetabolism with increased REE was more evident during increased disease activity. Hypermetabolism in the face of increased energy intake continued to cause loss of the FFM. Interleukin-6 correlates with increased REE and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. There was no direct association between IL-6 level and low FFM. We conclude that loss of FFM is common in RA, cytokine production in RA is associated with altered energy metabolism, and preservation of FFM is important in maintaining good quality of life in patients with RA.
Study site: Rheumatology clinic, Putra Specialist Centre, Kedah

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Fulltext A multidimensional assessment of nutritional and health status of rural elderly Malays

Shahar S, Ibrahim Z, Fatah AR, Rahman SA, Yusoff NA, Arshad F, et al.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2007;16(2):346-53.
PMID: 17468093

A multidimensional assessment of nutritional and health status comprised of subjective global assessment (SGA), anthropometry function, biochemistry, dietary intake, social and health aspects was carried out on 820 older people (52.8% men and 47.2% women) from four rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia. A proportion of the subjects had been classified as either overweight (25.7%) or chronic energy deficient (20.3%). Although 49% of subjects had normal body weight, 68.4% have been classified as having mild to moderate malnutrition according to the SGA. Only 1.1% and 2.3% had low serum albumin and ferritin, respectively. Almost 80% of subjects, especially men, were at high risk of cardiovascular diseases on the basis of the assessment of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. The majority of the subjects (87.2%) were fully independent in performing daily tasks, with men having a significantly higher score compared to women (p<0.001). However, men were less likely to be able to perform a flexibility test (50.7%) than were women (27.0%) (p<0.05). The mean energy intake for men (1412 +/- 461 kcal/d) and women (1201 +/- 392 kcal/d) were below the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for Malaysia, although this is a difficult assertion to make in an age-group which generally experiences declining energy expenditure. Moreover, 52.5% of men and 47.5% of women might have underreported their food intake. Dietary micronutrients most likely to be deficient were thiamin, riboflavin and calcium. It is concluded that a substantial proportion of rural elderly Malays had problems related to both undernutrition and overnutrition. An appropriate nutrition intervention program is needed to improve the nutritional status of rural elderly Malays.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status*
Fulltext Association between functional dentition with inadequate calorie intake and underweight in elderly people living in “Pondok” in Kelantan

Seman, K., Abdul Manaf, H., Ismail, A.R.

Archives of Orofacial Sciences, 2007;2(1):10-19.
MyJurnal

This study was to investigate the association between functional dentition with inadequate calorie intake and underweight in elderly people living in “Pondok” in Kelantan. A cross-sectional study participated by 369 elderly people was carried out. A simple random sampling method was utilized for the selection of the subjects. Subjects were interviewed using a structured form to collect information about subjects’ demographic background and self-reported health status. The 24-hour recall method was used to provide information on the subject’s exact food intake during the previous 24 hours. Body mass index was calculated from subjects’ weight and height, followed by oral assessment. The “Nutrical Software” was used for nutrient calculation, followed by SPSS version 11.5 for data analysis. The response rate was 95.6%. Majority of the respondents were female (92.4%). The percentage of subjects who had inadequate calorie intake and underweight was 71.0% and 25.7% respectively. The percentage of edentulism was 81.0%. The proportion of elderly with compromised functional dentition was 48.2% and majority was edentate elderly without wearing any complete dentures or wearing defective dentures, 23.6% and 56.2% respectively, while 20.2% was dentate elderly. The odds of having inadequate calorie intake and getting underweight among elderly with a compromised functional dentition was 3.7 times and 42.0 times respectively, compared to elderly with a non-compromised functional dentition. There was a significant association between inadequate calorie intake and underweight with functional dentition among elderly living in “Pondok” in Kelantan.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status
Fulltext Dietary supplementation among doctors in Kelantan

Rohana Abdul Jalil, Zulkifli Ahmad

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2007;7(1):60-63.
MyJurnal

The aim of the study is to describe the usage of dietary supplemenu among doctors working in the hospitals in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The method used was a postal questionaire survey of the doctors, both specialists and medical officers working in these hospitals. The results showed that
only 28.7% of the doctors are taking dietary supplements. Significantly more female doctors and doctors on long term medication, were taking these supplements. The dietary supplements commonly used were multivitamins and minerals (92.3%), garlic (26.9%), vitamin C (26.9%) and
lecithin (15.4%). The majority of the doctors who took dietary supplements (60%) felt their health status have improved. These supplements were mostly obtained from hospital pharmacies. Doctors who puchase their own supplements spend between RMIO to RMIZO per month. The main reasons given for taking these supplements were that the doctors jfelt healthier' and to ‘prevent or as a supplementary treatment’ for conditions like hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and cancers. There were four doctors who regularly use traditional dietary supplements. Most doctors will generally advice their patients and children to take dietary supplements regularly, as they felt that it is important for health.

Matched MeSH terms: Health Status

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