RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in 4 electronic databases (Ovid Medline, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science). Studies conducted in English and including measures on the perception of aging and quality of life were included in this review. A total of 32 observational studies (21 cross-sectional, 8 longitudinal, 2 mixed-method, and 1 qualitative) met the inclusion criteria. Outcomes reported in the included studies were quality of life, physical health and functioning, psychological health, mental health, and general well-being.
RESULTS: Overall, 20 quantitative studies indicated a strong association between positive perception of aging and increased quality of life. Similarly, 9 quantitative studies demonstrated that negative perception of aging is associated with lower quality of life. Results of the mixed-method and qualitative studies indicated that older adults with higher morale and good physical capability had more positive perceptions of health.
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: These results suggest that promoting a positive perception of aging and a self-care attitude would help to enhance older adults' quality of life and should be incorporated into future health promotions and interventions.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the relationship between perceived usefulness and ease of use of telemedicine services and their association with the behavioral intention to use telemedicine.
METHODS: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to determine significant predictors of intention to use telemedicine consultation. Types of illnesses that favored seeking telemedicine consultation, as well as the most preferred platform for conducting telemedicine consultations, were also investigated.
RESULTS: In total, 1006 participants completed the survey. A total of 44.3% (n=446) reported being very likely and 49.3% (n=496) reported being likely to seek telemedicine consultation. Overall, the majority of participants expressed strong agreement or agreement regarding the perceived usefulness of telemedicine. Likewise, the majority indicated strong agreement or agreement when it came to their perception of the ease of using telemedicine. In the partial least squares structural equation modeling, perceived usefulness (β=0.322; P
METHODS: An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. Job insecurity was measured using the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), burnout using the Perceived Burnout measure question, psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise variable selection method was used to identify associations.
RESULTS: A total of 2,353 staff participated; the mean age (± SD) was 43(± 10) years and 61% were females. Most staff (85%) did not feel job insecurity, one-third (29%) perceived burnout in their jobs, more than two-thirds (73%) experienced moderate to very high levels of psychological distress, and more than half (58%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping. Perceived job insecurity was associated with staff working part-time [Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.53 (95% Confidence Intervals 1.15-2.02)], having an academic appointment [2.45 (1.78-3.27)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.86 (1.41-2.48)], perceived burnout [1.99 (1.54-2.56)] and moderate to very high level of psychological distress [1.68 (1.18-2.39)]. Perceived burnout was associated with being female [1.35 (1.12-1.63)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.53 (1.20-1.97)], perceived job insecurity [1.99 (1.55-2.57)], and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress [3.23 (2.42-4.30)]. Staff with multiple co-morbidities [1.46 (1.11-1.92)], mental health issues [2.73 (1.79-4.15)], perceived job insecurity [1.61 (1.13-2.30)], and perceived burnout [3.22 (2.41-4.31)] were associated with moderate to very high levels of psychological distress. Staff who perceived their mental health as good to excellent [3.36 (2.69-4.19)] were more likely to have medium to high resilient coping.
CONCLUSIONS: Factors identified in this study should be considered in reviewing and updating current support strategies for staff at HE institutions across all countries to reduce stress and burnout and improve wellbeing.
METHODS: This retrospective, cross-sectional analysis included adults with T2DM from 11 Asian countries/regions prospectively enrolled in the Joint Asian Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Register (2007-2019) with available EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D-3L) data.
RESULTS: Of 47,895 included patients, 42,813 were treated with OGLDs + lifestyle modifications (LSM) and 5,082 with LSM only. Among those treated with OGLDs, 60% received sulphonylureas (SUs), of whom 47% received gliclazide. The OGLD + LSM group had a lower mean EQ-5D-3L index score than the LSM-only group (p
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done in Kuching, Sarawak, involving 173 randomly selected respondents among manufacturing factory workers. Data collected were respondents' workplace monitoring data and their audiometry records obtained from the factory record, and the otoscopy examinations performed. In addition, respondents were required to fill up an interviewer-guided questionnaire.
RESULTS: The prevalence of NIHL was high (49.7%). The factors which were found to have a significant association with NIHL in bivariate analysis were age (p < 0.05, 95% CI), male gender (p < 0.05; OR - 7.60; CI 3.34 -18.38), duration of employment (p <0.05), knowledge of noise level (p < 0.05; OR - 4.11; CI 1.10 - 15.28), working at polishing department (p < 0.05; OR - 4.23; CI 2.13 - 8.43), and smoking (p < 0.05; OR - 39.6; CI 16.5 - 94.8). Pack-years of smoking were also found to have a significant association with p < 0.05. However, only smoking was statistically significant in multivariate analysis, where the risk of developing NIHL was 27.55 (p < 0.005; CI 10.74 - 70.64) among smokers.
CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of NIHL despite the existing Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) may indicate that there may be some elements in HCP that require close monitoring by the factory management, and the importance of smoking cessation among the workers exposed to noise at the workplace should be highlighted.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2018; data on patients' sociodemographic characteristics, diabetes knowledge, perceived social support and health literacy level were collected. Health literacy level was measured using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47).
SETTING: Patients were recruited from four primary care clinics in Perak, Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients diagnosed with T2DM who attended the study clinics during the study period.
PRIMARY OUTCOME VARIABLE: Patients with HLS-EU-Q47 General Index of ≤33 points were classified as having limited health literacy.
RESULTS: The prevalence of limited health literacy was 65.3% (n=279). In bivariate analysis, patients' ethnicity (p=0.04), highest education level (p<0.001), monthly income (p=0.003), having health insurance (p=0.007), English language fluency (p<0.001), Malay language fluency (p=0.021), attending diabetes education sessions (p<0.001), perceived social support (p<0.001) and diabetes knowledge (p=0.019) were factors associated with limited health literacy. In logistic regression, not being fluent in English was associated with limited health literacy (OR=2.36, 95% CI 1.30 to 4.30) whereas having high perceived social support (OR=0.52, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.69) and having attended diabetes education sessions (OR=0.42, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.68) were associated with adequate health literacy.
CONCLUSION: The prevalence of limited health literacy is high among patients with T2DM in Perak, Malaysia. Strategies to improve health literacy in these patients must consider the influences of English fluency, attendance at diabetes education sessions and social support, and may need to adopt a universal approach to addressing limited health literacy.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge of CPR among health assistants (HAs) in Nepal and explore if there were variations in knowledge scores based on the demographic characteristics of the participants.
METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used. The study population included HAs registered with the Nepal Health Professional Council (NHPC) who completed three years of training. Non-probability convenience sampling was employed. Data was collected using an online survey based on the 2020 American Heart Association guidelines. Demographic information and participants' knowledge levels were noted.
RESULTS: The study involved 500 HAs, with the majority being male and working in government hospitals. Most participants were from Madhesh Province, and the median age was 26 years. Only a fraction of the participants had received training in CPR, and none of them had ever performed CPR. The median knowledge scores were higher among males and among respondents from Madhesh, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudhurpaschim provinces. The HA's knowledge of the correct depth of CPR compression for children (21%) and infants (17.4%) was limited. CPR scores were different according to variables like training, theory understanding, and practice duration, among others. The findings highlighted the need for more practical training and regular refresher courses to enhance HAs ability to provide life-saving interventions.
CONCLUSION: The study revealed less CPR knowledge and a lack of practical training among HAs in Nepal. To improve healthcare outcomes, providing practical training and ongoing education on CPR is crucial. The findings can contribute to curriculum development and policy changes in healthcare delivery.
METHODS: A standardized questionnaire following the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) guidelines was investigator-administered to a clinically and epidemiology well-defined allergic cohort of 13,561 young Chinese adults aged 19-22. Information on their sociodemographic, lifestyle, dietary habits, and personal and family medical atopic histories were obtained. Allergic sensitization was assessed by a skin prick test to mite allergens. Spearman's rank-order correlation was used to assess the correlation between the intake frequencies of 16 food types. Dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis. Four corresponding dietary scores were derived to examine the association of identified dietary patterns with allergic sensitization and AD exacerbations through a multivariable logistic regression that controlled for age, gender, parental eczema, BMI, and lifestyle factors.
RESULTS: The correlation is the strongest between the intake of butter and margarine (R = 0.65). We identified four dietary patterns, "high-calorie foods", "plant-based foods", "meat and rice", and "probiotics, milk and eggs", and these accounted for 47.4% of the variance in the dietary habits among the subjects. Among these patterns, moderate-to-high intake of "plant-based foods" conferred a negative association for chronic (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.706; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.589-0.847; p
METHODS: The data were obtained from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) which was conducted from September to October 2020. A cross-sectional survey with five structured questionnaires using the method of computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) was used to collect data. The socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, marital status, educational level, and occupation were recorded. Data were analysed using STATA SE Version 16. Associations between variables were tested using chi-square and logistic regression, with the level of statistical significance set at p
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 390 participants from a primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia, between February and June 2022. The inclusion criteria were high-CV risk individuals, that is, Framingham risk score >20%, diabetes without target organ damage, stage 3 kidney disease, and very high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >4.9 mmol/L or blood pressure (BP) >180/110 mmHg. Individuals with existing CVD were excluded. The treatment targets were BP <140/90 mmHg (≤135/75 for diabetics), LDL-C <2.6 mmol/L, and HbA1c ≤6.5%. Multiple logistic regressions determined the association between sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, health literacy, and medication adherence with the achievements of each target.
RESULTS: About 7.2% achieved all treatment targets. Of these, 35.1% reached systolic and diastolic (46.7%) BP targets. About 60.2% and 28.2% achieved optimal LDL-C and HbA1c, respectively. Working participants had lower odds of having optimal systolic (aOR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13-0.90) and diastolic (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.17-0.96) BP. Those who adhered to treatments were more likely to achieve LDL-C and HbA1c targets; (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.10-2.69) and (aOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.25-4.83), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The control of risk factors among high CV risk patients in this study was suboptimal. Urgent measures such as improving medication adherence are warranted.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This two-phase sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, incorporating a quantitative design (phase I) and a qualitative study (phase II), is to be conducted in 4 government hospitals and 10 other non-governmental organisations or private dialysis centres within Klang Valley, Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey (phase I) will include 236 patient-caregiver dyads, while focus group discussions (phase II) will include 30 participants. The participants for both phases will be recruited purposively. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and multiple regression analysis will be used for analyses in phase I, and thematic analysis will be used in phase II.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval for the study has been obtained from the National Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC) (NMRR-21-1012-59714) and the Research Ethics Committee of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM (UKM PPI/111/8/JEP-2021-078) and University of Malaya Medical Centre (MREC ID NO: 2 02 178-10346). Informed consent of the participants will be obtained beforehand, and no personal identifiers will be obtained from the participants to protect their anonymity. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at national or international conferences with minimal anonymised data.
METHODS: A total of 218 undergraduate medical students at the Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, participated in a cross-sectional study that involved an online survey. Environmental factor scales were assessed with the nine-item lighting, noise, and temperature (LNT) scale and the six-item technology scale. Analysis was performed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
RESULTS: The English version of the LNT scale with nine items and three factors showed a good fit to the data, with no item deleted. For LNT, the composite reliability (CR) was 0.81, 0.81, and 0.84, respectively, while the average variance extracted (AVE) was 0.61, 0.59, and 0.6, respectively. The English version of the technology scale, with six items and one factor, also showed a good fit to the data, with no item deleted. The CR was 0.84, and the AVE was 0.51.
CONCLUSIONS: The results provide psychometric evidence for environmental questionnaire scales in evaluating the factors associated with online learning among Malaysian university medical students. All items were retained and confirmed to fit the sample data.
RESULTS: Fifty-six H. pylori isolate from Bangladeshi patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Crystal violet assay was used to quantify biofilm amount, and the strains were classified into high- and low-biofilm formers As a result, strains were classified as 19.6% high- and 81.4% low-biofilm formers. These phenotypes were not related to specific clades in the phylogenetic analysis. The accessories genes associated with biofilm from whole-genome sequences were extracted and analysed, and SNPs among the previously reported biofilm-related genes were analysed. Biofilm formation was significantly associated with SNPs of alpA, alpB, cagE, cgt, csd4, csd5, futB, gluP, homD, and murF (P