Ergonomics is generally to design for human use and optimizing the working and living conditions. The comfort, safety and ease of use of systems, products and machines require the principles of ergonomics to be incorporated into the design. Anthropometry is a part of ergonomics which deals with the measurement of body dimensions, its capability and limitations of the human ability. Studies have indicated that body dimensions differ for various populations, depending on ethnic group, sex and age. The measurement of physical characteristics and abilities of people provides information that is essential for the appropriate design of occupational and non- occupational environments, as well as for the design of consumer products, clothing, tools and equipment. It has been considered as the very basic core of ergonomics in an attempt to resolve the dilemma of 'fitting people to machines'. It has also been regarded as a branch of anthropology which deals with physical characteristics of the man in time and space, particularly with individual variation, ontogenesis and generic development. Knowledge about man from the point of view of physical anthropometry is very useful for the purpose of ergonomics and design. Thus it is important that an anthropometric database for each nation is developed to ensure design of products and systems are compatible with the user population. In Malaysia, many researchers have conducted anthropometric studies on various groups of people, focused on a small sample size and used for specific designs. Unfortunately, the measurements are not representatives of the population. The work has been individually based, confined to certain group of researchers in various universities and there is no concerted effort towards developing a national anthropometric database.This paper discusses some of the anthropometry work conducted in Malaysia, the problems and challenges in developing the national database, the importance of anthropometry and the roles that the government has to play in developing the database.
This paper explains Needlestick and Sharp Injuries among Healthcare Workers in Saudi Hospitals. Presently there are number of factors that are responsible for health care workers injuries. Lack of secure environment and ignorance to safety measures can lead to injuries due to Needlestick and Sharp objects. There is a significant need of providing better working environment for health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Following daily practices and World Health Organization’s measures for taking the preventive steps for these injuries is necessary. Trying to avoid utilizing needles whenever secure and efficient substitutes are present, providing needle containers, avoiding re-capping and wearing gloves on both hands are some of the measures that could be taken to make sure these problems do not recur.
It is known that lifting tasks are one of the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders in the automotive industry.
Extensive research has been carried out over the years to develop guidelines and determine safe limits in which an
individual can lift. For this reason, the objective of this study is to determine the significant risk factors of
musculoskeletal discomfort among manual lifting task workers in the automotive industry, and propose a
methodological framework for future research on manual lifting tasks. The subjects of this study comprise 211
manual material handling workers from the automotive industry. The subjects completed a set of questionnaires
which are used to elicit information on their demographic characteristics, as well as physical factors and the
prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort. The Chi-Square test was used to determine the relationship between the
risk factors and musculoskeletal discomfort. The findings of the study show that the following postures (trunk bent
slightly forwards, hands above the knee level (p < 0.05), trunk twisted (over 45o) and bent sideways (p < 0.05) are
the significant risk factors of musculoskeletal discomfort among manual lifting task workers in the automotive
industry. A methodological framework on manual lifting task in the automotive industry is proposed based on the
findings of this study. The framework is developed based on the need to model human lifting capabilities so that task
demands can be designed to fit the workers’ capacity when performing lifting tasks.
Extensive research has been carried out over the years to determine the maximum acceptable weight that a worker is capable of lifting in a given situation among the Occidental populations in the Europe and US. At present, there is a scarcity of studies in which lifting frequency is used as the measuring variable, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the effects of lifting loads on the maximum acceptable frequency limit (MAFL), physiological response (muscle activity) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) for asymmetric lifting and lowering tasks of Malaysian males.Ten male subjects are recruited in this study and they perform asymmetric lifting and lowering tasks repetitively for 30 minutes. Two lifting loads are considered (1) 1 kg and (2) 5 kg. Each of the subjects adjusts his frequency of lifting using a psychophysical approach. The subjects are instructed to perform the lifting and lowering task as fast as they could over duration of 30 minutes without exhausting themselves or becoming overheated. Electromyography (EMG) signals are recorded from four muscles (Right Erector Spinae (RES), Left Erector Spinae (LES), Right Trapezius p Descendenz (RTD) and Left Trapezius p Descendenz (LTD) and analysed in terms of the normalized MVC during asymmetric lifting and lowering tasks. The ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) for four body parts (arms, lower back, shoulders and entire body) are also collected after the subjects have completed the lifting and lowering task. The mean frequency of the lifting and lowering task obtained from the experiment is 13.41 and 9.66 times/minute for a lifting load of 1 and 5 kg, respectively. The results of the independent sample t-test show that load has a statistically significant effect on the maximum acceptable frequency limit (p < 0.05). However, it is found that even though there is an increase in muscle activity and RPE with an increase in lifting load, there is no significant difference in the overall mean muscle activity and RPE (p > 0.05). The percentage decrease in the maximum acceptable frequency for Malaysian males is higher than the Occidental populations for both of the loads investigated in this study.
Teachers face one of the highest demands of any professional group to use their voices at work. Thus, they are at
higher risk of developing voice disorder than the general population. The consequences of voice disorder may have
impact on teacher’s social and professional life as well as their mental, physical and emotional state and their
ability to communicate. Objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of voice disorder and the
relationship between voice disorder with associated risk factors such as teaching activities and lifestyle factors
among primary school teachers in Bintulu, Sarawak. A cross sectional study was conducted based on random sample
of 4 primary schools in Bintulu, Sarawak between January-March 2014. A total of 100 full-time primary school
teachers were invited to participate in the study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire
addressing the prevalence of voice disorder and potential risk factors. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test was
used to measure the relationship between voice disorder and associated risk factors. The response rate for this study
was 78% (78/100). The study found that the prevalence of voice disorder among primary school teachers in Bintulu,
Sarawak was 13%. Chi-square test results revealed that factors significantly associated with voice disorder (p
The study of driver posture and comfort in driver workspace is important in vehicle package design especially in two
different type of vehicle, sedan and Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV). Due to different seat position in the driver
workspace, investigation of driver accommodation in relations to driver anthropometry is essential to ensure its
meet the ergonomic quality. Therefore, this research is to investigate the preferred driving posture of Malaysian
driver in both sedan and MPV type of car. Sixty two subjects (32 males and 30 females) aged between 17–60 years old
were selected to simulate the comfortable driving posture using mock-ups of sedan car and MPV. Measurements
based on SAE J1100 vehicle package design geometry were carried out for each subject. Result shows slight
differences in the range of posture angle between the two types of vehicles, the posture joint angle in MPV is
slightly smaller as compared to those of sedan car. The range postural angles for Malaysian driver population also is
slightly smaller compare to Caucasian people especially on lower body portion such as knee angle, hip angle and
ankle angle. These angles are due to the body stature and body segment length in which the population of Malaysia
have shorter thighs and legs than those in Europe and America.
Posture is one of the most important factor that need to be considered in any postural analysis. Awkward, extreme,
and repetitive postures can increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). As observational methods are more
widely used than instrumentation-based methods to assess postural problems, this study reviews and assesses the
scientific literature of observational methods and focused on pen and paper based specifically. In order to identify the
published methods, a list of English or Malay articles dating as far back as 1990 was compiled from PubMed, Science
Direct and Google Scholar. The keywords were ergo*, posture*, method*, observational*, postural problems*, pen and
paper*, posture analysis*, indirect* and macro-ergo*. In addition, a secondary search was also performed using
bibliography of retrieved articles so that additional papers for conducting review and evaluations can be collected. A
total of 121 articles that assessed postural problems in working activities were found. However, after intensive
screening process only 6 articles were selected to be further analyzed. Posture of upper arms/shoulder, lower arms/
elbow, wrist, neck, back/trunk and leg were highlighted in this study. The limitations and the strengths of the
published pen and paper based observational method focusing on those postures were also discussed. The finding of
this review will benefit researchers in the process of understanding unsafe posture in workplace. It could also provide
to researcher on how to improve the current pen and paper based observational method for assessing postural
problems.
The number of people above 60 years of age will increases due to the growth of the population in the first half of the 21st century, particularly in Malaysia. This has led to the growing number of older drivers which is often unavoidable as driving is a necessary task that not only achieves mobility but also shows a sign of independence and improves self-esteem, which are essential towards effecting the lifestyle. This paper briefly looks at common elderly related visual impairment, reviews design approaches and tools that tackle or include these issues in the design process and further outlines new research needs. It is the intention of this paper to steer the research direction of the development of future design approach and tools that would enhance the capabilities of designers to be well prepared to cater for inclusive design for the elderly, more specifically for visual impairments issues.
This study was done to determine the relationship between indoor air quality and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) among students in Retrofitting Building (Building A) located in Kuala Lumpur and Purposed-built Building (Building B) located in Selangor. A cross sectional study was conducted among student from selected buildings with the total number of 130 respondents. Modified questionnaire based on Indoor Air Quality and Work Symptoms Survey, NIOSH, Indoor Environmental Quality Survey, 1991 was used to record the number of students experienced SBS. Measurement of indoor air quality was performed using instruments recommended by the IAQ Code of Practice, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Malaysia. There was a significantly higher number of occupants experienced SBS in Building A (60 of 65 respondents) compared to Building B (50 of 65 respondents) (Χ2= 4.127, p = 0.042). It was also found that there is a significant difference between the numbers of respondents having SBS between Building A and Building B (p < 0.045). Building A had higher CO2, bacteria, fungi, and UFP significantly as compared to Building B. However, only CO was significantly higher in Building B compared to Building A. It is suggested thatregular maintenance of both buildings is compulsory as ventilation played an important role in maintaining good indoor air quality in a building.
This paper describes the process of quantifying the qualitative data in discovering the requirement of designing a
glucose sensor for diabetic patients. A participatory design approach was conducted among stakeholders which
include project managers, developers and users in early phases. Early phase of the design requires a problem
gathering and identifying pain points. The goals and objectives of the designing the product by project members
were evaluated. Users’ expectation was then validated with the stakeholder’s goals. The results showed that there
was a contradiction of goals and need among team members and medical practitioners. The findings provide a
literature on a case study of an industry practice and useful methods to be applied to capture hidden needs and
requirements when designing healthcare products.
Vitamin A, C and E intake has been shown to play a role in the etiology of breast cancer, but the findings have been
inconsistent and limited to developed countries with higher cancer incidence. Therefore, the aim of this study is to
examine the association of premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer risk with vitamin A, C and E intake from
dietary sources. This is a population based case-control study conducted in Malaysian population among 382 breast cancer
patients and 382 control group. Dietary intake was assessed via an interviewer-administered food frequency
questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and a broad
range of potential confounders were included in analysis. The results of this study shows a significant decreased risk of
breast cancer among premenopausal (ORQ4 to Q1=0.38, 95% CI, 0.12 – 0.55, p-trend=0.001) and postmenopausal (ORQ4 to
Q1=0.26, 95% CI, 0.03 – 0.75, p-trend=0.017) women was observed in the highest quartile of beta-carotene intake.
Meanwhile, a higher intake of vitamin C showed significantly lowered risk only for premenopausal women (ORQ4 to
Q1=0.13, 95% CI, 0.03 – 0.32, p-trend=0.001). As a conclusion, beta-carotene intake was independently related to pre- and
postmenopausal breast cancer risk, while vitamin C intake was associated with decreased risk among premenopausal
women only. However, no association was observed for vitamin A especially retinol and vitamin E intake from dietary
sources.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) may result in progressive visual impairment and blindness which affects the diabetic patients‟ morbidity and quality of life significantly. The objective of this study was to determine the proportions and prognostic factors of DR severity among Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. A cross sectional study was conducted at the Ophthalmology Clinic in a tertiary hospital using the medical record database from 2005 to 2011. A total of 216DR patients were randomly selected. The study outcome was DR severity which was classified into four grading based on the International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Scale. Descriptive statistics and Ordinal Logistic Regression were applied using Stata SE/11. The mean (SD) age of DR
in this study was 56.06 (9.98) years old with almost equal sex ratio. Proportion of mild non proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) was 48.6% (95% CI: 40.0, 60.0), moderate NPDR was 28.2% (95%CI: 22.0, 40.0), severe NPDR was 6.9% (95% CI: 4.0, 11.0) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) was 16.2% (95%CI: 10.0, 22.0). Diabetic patients that suffered from diabetes mellitus for more than 10 years, having nephropathy, every increased of HbA1c by 1% and higher total cholesterol were at increased risk of worsening DR.
Note: content of full text inconsistent with title and abstract. Author informed.
Diabetic foot ulcer is a major health care problem leading to hospitalization, morbidity, amputation and mortality in diabetic patients. The aim of this study is to determine the amputation-free probability and prognostic factors of major amputation among hospitalized diabetic foot patients in a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia. A retrospective record review study was conducted among 231 hospitalized diabetic foot patients in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from 1st January 2007 until 31st December 2011 followed by 1 year follow up. Patients’ medical records were retrieved and reviewed. Socio-demographic, clinical characteristics and amputation endpoint status were recorded. The duration of amputation-free time was measured from the date of being diagnosed as diabetic foot until the date of amputation.Simple and Multiple Cox regression were performed to determine the prognostic factors of major amputation. The patients’ age ranged from 21 to 83, with mean (SD) was 56.9 (10.4) years. Majority were male (51.5%) and Malays (95.7%). The overall proportion of amputation due to diabetic foot was 88.7% which comprised of minor (76.6%) and major amputation (13.7%). The adjusted prognostic factors that were found to be significantly influence the risk of having major amputation among hospitalized diabetic foot patients in HUSM were age at diagnosed of DFU (Adjusted HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.09, P=0.033), gender (Adjusted HR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07,0.66, P=0.007), duration of DM (Adjusted HR: 2.76, 95% CI: 1.25, 6.12, P=0.012), smoking status(Adjusted HR: 4.19, 95% CI: 1.12, 15.65, P=0.033) and status of DFU (Adjusted HR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.10, 6.07, P=0.029). Older diabetic patients, female, having diabetes more than 10 years, smoker and recurrent DFU were at higher risk of major amputation.
Floods can lead to direct economic and property losses and result not only in physical injuries and deaths but
also in psychological trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a commonly used indicator to evaluate
psychological injuries after disaster. This study aimed to determine the relationship between PTSD prevalence
and related perceived severity of post flood impact by economical, non-economical and flood status severity
domains besides relevant socio-demographic factors according to gender specific analysis. This cross-sectional
study was conducted among community in Kampung Hulu Takir, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia in 2015 two
weeks after flood. It included a total of 98 males and 110 females aged 18 years and above. Data was
collected by interview-guided questionnaire to determine the prevalence of PTSD. SPSS version 21.0 was used
for analysis of the relationship between socio demographic factors, perceived economic, non-economic and
flood severity with PTSD. Finally chi square test was used to assess the predictors of PTSD according to
gender. The prevalence of PTSD was 9.2% in males and 10.9% in females, giving a total of 10.1%. Significantly
higher prevalence of PTSD was found in severely perceived economic and flood impact categories (33.3% and
23.8% in males; 23.8 % and 37.5% in females) and giving in overall 44.0% and 31.3 % respectively. Effective
PTSD management strategies targeting females post flood victims who severely perceived economically and
nature flood impact should be implemented in order to prevent further consequences of PTSD.
Job satisfaction is defined as pleasurable or positive emotional state which results from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience. It is often determined by how well outcome meet or exceed expectations. There are many factors which are related to job satisfaction among family physicians. Data on satisfaction among family physicians varies from country to country. This study aimed to determine the level of job satisfaction among family physicians in Malaysia and its associated factors. A cross sectional study was performed among 117 family physicians in Malaysia between July 2012 and December 2012. A questionnaire consists of socio-demographic characteristic, professional and health clinic characteristics and Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale was used. The results showed that 85% of Malaysian family physicians are satisfied with their job. They are mostly satisfied with hours of work, colleagues and fellow workers, and freedom to choose own method of working. They are least satisfied with physical working condition, rate of pay and recognition. Female gender and less number of health clinics in-charged were associated with increased in overall job satisfaction. Most of the family physicians in Malaysia are satisfied with their job. However there are certain areas that should be looked into which are physical working condition, rate of pay and recognition. Malaysian family physicians should receive equal career opportunity, promotion and salary scale like other specialties
Aedes mosquito-borne Dengue morbidity is predominantly high in the tropics and subtropics regions. Dengue is also a
public health problem in Malaysia since the first epidemic in 1973. Reducing the vector population and personal
protection still plays an important role in dengue prevention and control. With the information of community’s dengue
knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP), the authorities could construct evidence-based, community- empowered vector
control program. Upon the understanding of the value of baseline data, a cross-sectional study was carried out in dengue
hotspot areas in Seberang Takir using universal sampling. The study results showed that 54.6% of the population had high
level of knowledge, 18.6% had good attitude and 91.7% were performing good practices against Dengue infection. After
adjusting confounding variables, age and educational levels of respondents, knowledge as well as attitude were found to
be significant associated factors for having good practice against Dengue. The study findings provide the need for further
information to undertake a holistic approach which is in need of community participation and cooperatio
The communities settled in this traditional flood-prone area are potentially at risk of frequent inundation. This
compelled the affected population to cope or adapt some strategy to reduce the negative impacts on their lives. The
objective of this study was to explore the coping approach among the residents in a flood affected traditional village in
Kuala Nerus, Terengganu and determine its associated factors. A cross sectional study which involved 210 adults who
lived in traditional village houses was conducted from April to May 2015. Universal sampling was applied. This
community-based study was part of the curriculum requirement for undergraduate medical students of UniSZA. The
participants’ background, experience during the recent flood and their coping response were assessed using selfadministered
validated Malay version Brief COPE inventory that consists of three domains (emotion-focused, problemfocused
and less-useful), 14 subscales and 30 items. The mean (SD) age of participants were 46.7(15.54) years with
almost equal sex ratio. Most of the participants were married (78.1%) and unemployed (54.8%). The most common coping
approach applied by the villagers was emotion-focused followed by problem-focused and less-useful coping. There were
four adjusted variables significantly associated with higher total coping score namely awareness on evacuation site
(b=5.38, 95%CI:1.68,9.08, p=0.005), knowledge on health risk of flood (b=3.79, 95%CI:0.92,6.66, p=0.010), discussed on
flood preparedness with family (b=2.50, 95%CI:0.84,4.16, p=0.003) and stored food before flood (b=4.506, 95%CI
1.67,7.34, p=0.002). The emotion-focused coping was the most preferred coping approach among the villagers. A
significant better coping was associated with the villagers who were aware of the gazetted evacuation site and have
knowledge on the flood health hazard. The villagers who planned with their family and practiced storage of adequate
food as part of household preparedness also demonstrated significant higher coping level.
The aim of this study was to develop a new validated questionnaire to assess the health impact of divorce on women. A
cross sectional study was undertaken in a district in Terengganu, using a newly developed self-administered Malay
language questionnaire comprising of six domains and 82 items. The questionnaire was constructed based on the
literature review and discussions with experts. Exploratory factor analysis was applied in construct validity and internal
consistency was used for reliability analysis. A total of 51 respondents were involved in this study. All the consented
divorcees were Malays. The mean (SD) age for the divorced women was 35.8 (10.00). Majority (82.4%) of them had
secondary education. All the final three domains demonstrated Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) of more than 0.6, significant
Bartlett’s test of Sphericity and Cronbach’s alpha of more than 0.80. The overall Cronbach’s alpha was excellent (0.920).
The final questionnaire consisted of two domains. Factor loading for all items in each subdomains were satisfactory. The
final functional somatic symptoms domain consisted of 6 subdomains and 19 items with factor loading from 0.402 to
0.914. For emotional instability domain, the final items were 13 items with factor loading from 0.548 to 0.878. The
questionnaire was valid and reliable to be used for functional somatic symptoms and emotional instability domains. It is
useful to assess the health impact and related intervention of divorced women. A confirmatory factor analysis may
further confirm the final model.
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.
Anthropometric Test Devices (ATDs) of different nominal percentile values have long been used as human surrogates in automotive crash testing. The Hybrid III family, which is one of the widely used ATDs in frontal crash test, was designed based on the anthropometry dimensions of US adults. Thus, this paper aims to assess the anthropometric differences between Malaysian adults and Hybrid III dummies in terms of 5th percentile (small female), 50th percentile (midsize male) and 95th percentile (large male). A series of anthropometric parameters of Malaysian adults was obtained from a database of 1321 subjects with 708 males and 613 females. The results revealed that the current midsize male population differs from the ATD’s statures and body weights by about 35 and 40 percentile points, respectively. This demonstrates that the current ATDs are not truly representative of the current Malaysian adults, which may potentially lead to different injury responses in road traffic crashes. Thus, car manufacturers may as well consider this discrepancy issue in developing their future models especially with regards to safety.