An analysis of birth weight was undertaken on secondary data derived from the Malaysian Family Life Survey II. A total of 1629 last singleton live birth infants was analysed with the aim of identifying from the variables available potential risk factors for low birth weight. Univariate and subsequently multivariate analyses were carried out for this purpose. The incidence of low birth weight was 11.8 percent. Race, parity and prematurity were found to be significantly associated with low birth weight after controlling of the other variables. The findings indicate that more work needs to be done to establish the underlying reasons for low birth weight in Malaysia.
Study name: Malaysian Family Life Survey (MFLS-2)
To determine the extent of hand transmitted vibration exposure problems, particularly hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), among construction workers in Malaysia.
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of job stress among secondary school teachers using Karasek Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), the association between salivary cortisol, salivary IgA, and sociodemographic characteristics, and the association between log cortisol, IgA levels, and job strain categories. A cross-sectional study was undertaken using JCQ and salivary cortisol and IgA samples. Cluster sampling was done yielding 302 respondents. The prevalence of stress among all teachers was 20.2%. Being a Malay, teaching experience of 5 to 10 years, and those without a supervisor's support had higher prevalence of high job strain. Teachers in the 31 to 40 years age bracket, educating handicapped children with the absence of supervisor support exhibited higher stress levels with lower log salivary IgA levels. Further studies must be conducted using salivary biomarkers to study the in-depth relationship of stress, extending into other occupational groups.
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) are important tick-borne viruses. Despite their wide geographical distribution and ease of acquisition, the prevalence of both viruses in Malaysia is still unknown. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence for TBEV and CCHFV among Malaysian farm workers as a high-risk group within the population.