METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students in 14 countries in Asia and the Middle East. The validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (the 14-item WEMWBS) was adopted to assess mental wellbeing. Data collection was performed online between February and April 2022. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used as appropriate.
RESULTS: A total of 2,665 responses were received, mainly from females (68.7%) with a higher presence of private universities (59.1%). About 34.9% had low mental wellbeing levels, while 57 and 8.1% had medium, and high levels, respectively. Binary logistic regression showed that males (AOR: 1.34; CI 95%: 1.11-1.61; p < 0.01) and students with no chronic illnesses (AOR: 2.01; CI 95%: 1.45-2.80; p < 0.001) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Also, participants who did not engage in any exercise (AOR: 0.71; CI 95%: 0.52-0.98; p = 0.04) and those in public universities (AOR: 0.82; CI 95%: 0.69-0.97; p = 0.02) were less likely to have higher mental wellbeing. Additionally, students who had interest/passion for pharmacy (AOR: 1.69; CI 95%: 1.07-2.68; p = 0.02), and those who known pharmacists inspired (AOR: 1.81; CI 95%: 1.06-3.12; p = 0.03), were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared with those who had no specific reason for their choice to study pharmacy. The participants with excellent (AOR: 1.87; CI 95%: 1.29-2.70; p = 0.001) or very good self-reported academic performance (AOR: 1.57; CI 95%: 1.12-2.22; p = 0.01) were more likely to have higher mental wellbeing compared to those with fair academic performance.
CONCLUSION: More than a third of the participants had low mental wellbeing. Various demographic, lifestyle, medical and academic factors appeared to affect students' mental wellbeing. Careful consideration of these factors and their integration into the pharmacy schools' plans for student support services and academic advising would be essential to improve students' mental wellbeing.
Methods: We assessed study-related records to determine the pace of data collection, response from potential participants, and feedback following data and sample collection. Overall and stratified measures of data and sample availability were summarised. Crude prevalence of key risk factors was examined.
Results: Approximately half (49.5%) of invited individuals consented to participate in this study, for a final sample size of 203 (161 adults and 42 children). Women were more likely to consent to participate compared with men, whereas children, young adults and individuals of Malay ethnicity were less likely to consent compared with older individuals or those of any other ethnicity. At least one biological sample (blood from all participants - finger-prick and venous [for serum, plasma and whole blood samples], hair or urine for adults only) was successfully collected from all participants, with blood test data available from over 90% of individuals. Among adults, urine samples were most commonly collected (97.5%), followed by any blood samples (91.9%) and hair samples (83.2%). Cardiometabolic risk factor burden was high (prevalence of elevated HbA1c among adults: 23.8%; of elevated triglycerides among adults: 38.1%; of elevated total cholesterol among children: 19.5%).
Conclusions: In this study, we show that it is feasible to create biodata resources using existing HDSS frameworks, and identify a potentially high burden of cardiometabolic risk factors that requires further evaluation in this population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with a cross-sectional methodology was done in selected places from August 2018 to December 2018. We interviewed 197 participants aged equal to or more than 18 years old and measured their blood pressure (BP). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied.
Results: The overall HTN prevalence of 30.0% was recorded. The differences of HTN prevalence rates were seen by several characters including age groups (p <0.001), accompanying disease (p <0.001) and alcohol drinking (p <0.05). Factors independently associated with hypertension were age (ORs: 3.1 [1.1-9.1]; 6.1 [1.7-22.3]), much salty consumption (OR: 2.6 [1.1-6.6]), alcohol use (OR: 3.1 [1.2-8.1]), HTN familial history (OR: 4.2 [1.3-13.3]) and at least one suffering disease (OR: 5.2 [2.1-12.7]).
Conclusions: Thus, this study highlighted the high overall HTN prevalence in the Vietnam Northwestern region. Significant differences of HTN rate were observed among several characteristics such as age groups, accompanying disease and alcohol drinking. Age group, much salty consumption, alcohol use, hypertension familial history and at least one suffering disease were risk factors for HTN in study group.
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to develop a new LSM scoring system and investigate the correlation between adherence to LSM and incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) at 12-month follow-up.
METHOD: A total of 1000 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were included in this prospective single-center study. Manipal lifestyle modification score (MLSMS) was developed by using five lifestyle-related factors. Adherence to LSM at the baseline and subsequent follow-ups was determined by using MLSMS. The MACE at 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up were analyzed.
RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in overall adherence to LSM (p
Subjects and Methods: In an analytical cross-sectional design, we used simple random sampling technique to select 242 multiracial Malaysian male fishermen aged between 18 and 75 years from five fishing villages located at Gurney Drive, Tanjong Tokong, Tanjong Bungah, Batu Ferringhi, and Teluk Bahang to participate in this study. During four consecutive weekends in January 2017, we conducted face-to-face interviews with participants using a pre-validated, interviewer-administered WHO oral health questionnaire. We categorized participants as having "good" or "poor" oral health based on a mean cutoff score of 14. Multivariate regression models were fitted to assess the oral health status and associated lifestyle factors among the study population, using SPSS version 22.
Results: We achieved a response rate of 97.6%. Overall, the prevalence of poor oral health in this study was 47.5%. "Income" (RM/month), "type of fishing," "additional occupation," "age" (years), "frequency of pies, buns consumed," and "frequency of sweets, soft drinks consumed" were significant predictors of oral health status among the fishermen.
Conclusion: Poor oral health is relatively highly prevalent among the fishermen in our study. The oral health status of fishermen in Teluk Bahang was consistent with the national average and significantly associated with their sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Targeted interventions are required to arrest and reverse this trend.
Objectives: The study was conducted to assess whole-grain intake pattern and factors influencing intake among Malaysian medical students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study investigating whole-grain intake among 151 medical students in a private medical university in Malaysia was conducted from January to June 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic variables, the whole-grain intake pattern and the knowledge and attitudes toward whole-grain intake. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression were used.
Results: The prevalence of reported whole-grain intake in the past 3 months was 51%. Chinese ethnicity, readiness to adhere to Malaysian food pyramid, and self-preparation of food, and eating at home were significantly associated with whole-grain consumption. However, the primary determinants of food choice such as education, knowledge, and affordability did not seem to influence whole-grain consumption. Whole-grain consumption is relatively low among Malaysian medical students. Cultural background and self-belief influence this practice despite being from the medical fraternity.
Conclusions: Efforts are needed to bridge the knowledge-practice gap by assessing the barriers to whole-grain consumption to design effective initiatives to promote an increase in whole-grain consumption.