MyMedR

Fulltext Attitudes towards smoking and tobacco control among pre-clinical medical students in Malaysia

Tee GH, Hairi NN, Hairi F

Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2012 Aug;16(8):1126-8.

PMID: 22668450 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.11.0254

Physicians should play a leading role in combatting smoking; information on attitudes of future physicians towards tobacco control measures in a middle-income developing country is limited. Of 310 future physicians surveyed in a medical school in Malaysia, 50% disagreed that it was a doctor's duty to advise smokers to stop smoking; 76.8% agreed that physicians should not smoke before advising others not to smoke; and 75% agreed to the ideas of restricting the sale of cigarettes to minors, making all public places smoke-free and banning advertising of tobacco-related merchandise. Future physicians had positive attitudes towards tobacco regulations but had not grasped their responsibilities in tobacco control measures.

Fulltext Smoking behaviours and attitudes toward tobacco control among assistant environmental health officer trainees

Tee GH, Gurpreet K, Hairi NN, Zarihah Z, Fadzilah K

Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 2013 Dec;17(12):1652-5.

PMID: 24200284 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.12.0241

Assistant environmental health officers (AEHO) are health care providers (HCPs) who act as enforcers, educators and trusted role models for the public. This is the first study to explore smoking behaviour and attitudes toward tobacco control among future HCPs. Almost 30% of AEHO trainees did not know the role of AEHOs in counselling smokers to stop smoking, but 91% agreed they should not smoke before advising others not to do so. The majority agreed that tobacco control regulations may be used as a means of reducing the prevalence of smoking. Future AEHOs had positive attitudes toward tobacco regulations but lacked understanding of their responsibility in tobacco control measures.

Association between structural social support and quality of life among urban older Malaysians

Abu Hammattah A, Mohd Yunus R, Matthias Müller A, Bahyah Kamaruzzaman S, Naqiah Hairi N

Australas J Ageing, 2021 Dec;40(4):390-396.

PMID: 33594750 DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12919

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between structural social support and quality of life (QoL) among urban older people in Malaysia.

METHODS: Cross-sectional data of 1484 participants from the first wave of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) were analysed. QoL was measured with the Control, Autonomy, Self-realization, and Pleasure 12-item scale (CASP-12). Multivariate analyses were run using the generalised linear interactive model (GLIM) to determine the association between structural social support measures and QoL.

RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 70.1 (SD = 7.4) years. Being married (B = 0.05, 95%CI 0.02, 0.08), larger social networks (B = 0.01, 95%CI 0.01, 0.02) and social participation (B = 0.02, 95%CI 0.02, 0.09) were associated with higher QoL, while living alone (B= -0.04, 95%CI -0.06, -0.02) was associated with lower QoL.

CONCLUSION: Structural social support plays an important role in the QoL of older people in Malaysia.

The Prevalence and Association Between Social Support and Physical Activity Among the Rural Community-Dwelling Older Women in a Southeast Asian Country

Marthammuthu T, Hairi FM, Choo WY, Salleh NAM, Naqiah Hairi N

J Aging Phys Act, 2023 Aug 01;31(4):611-620.

PMID: 36649719 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2022-0201

While physical activity ensures healthy aging, rural community-dwelling older women tend to be more physically inactive compared with their counterparts in Malaysia. As social support is one of the key determinants of physical activity, this retrospective, cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of physical activity and its association with social support among 1,221 rural community-dwelling older women in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The prevalence of physical activity among older women was 45.1% with the highest prevalence reported for housework domain (52.3%). The total mean Duke Social Support index score was 27.24 ± 3.40. Multivariate analysis reported age, employment status, and income level to demonstrate significant association with the physical activity after adjusting for confounders. Older women with an increase in social interaction score were more likely (odds ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [1.10, 1.34]; p < .001) to have high physical activity when adjusted for sociodemographic, health, mental health, and physical disability. Contrarily, older women with an increase in one subjective social support score were less likely (odds ratio = 0.91; 95% confidence interval [0.87, 0.96]; p < .001) to have high physical activity when adjusted for confounders. The findings were insightful to tailor interventions on promoting social support for physical activity enhancement among older women.

Fulltext Access to medical journals in Malaysia

Liew SM, Bhoo-Pathy N, Hairi NN, Sinnasamy J, Engkasan JP, Moy FM, et al.

Med J Malaysia, 2011 Jun;66(2):162-3; discussion 163.

PMID: 22106706

Effects of a Multicomponent Exercise and Therapeutic Lifestyle (CERgAS) Intervention on Gait Function in Lower-Income Urban-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Loh DA, Naqiah Hairi N, Mohd Hairi F, Peramalah D, Kandiben S, Abd Hamid MAI, et al.

J Aging Phys Act, 2023 Aug 01;31(4):531-540.

PMID: 36509091 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2022-0047

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of a multicomponent exercise and therapeutic lifestyle (CERgAS) intervention at improving gait speed among older people in an urban poor setting in Malaysia. A total of 249 participants were divided into the intervention (n = 163) and control (n = 86) groups. The mean (SD) age of participants was 67.83 (6.37) and consisted of 88 (35.3%) males and 161 (64.7%) females. A generalized estimating equation with an intention-to-treat analysis was used to measure gait speed at four time points, baseline (T0), 6 weeks (T1), 3 months postintervention (T2), and 6 months postintervention (T3). The results showed significant changes for time between T0 and T3 (mean difference = 0.0882, p = .001), whereas no significant association were found for group (p = .650) and interaction (p = .348) effects. A 6-week intervention is inadequate to improve gait speed. Future efforts should introduce physical activity monitoring and increase exercise duration, frequency, and intensity.

Guidelines for Complementary Feeding of Infants in the Asia Pacific Region: APACPH Public Health Nutrition Group

Binns C, Lee MK, Yun Low W, Baker P, Bulgiba A, Dahlui M, et al.

Asia Pac J Public Health, 2020 05;32(4):179-187.

PMID: 32475150 DOI: 10.1177/1010539520931328

Good nutrition in the first "1000 days," including breastfeeding and appropriate complementary foods, prepares for a healthy childhood and adult life, also contributes to the prevention of the double burden of malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding provides all required nutrients until an infant is around 6 months of age when complementary foods are needed. A literature review was undertaken of complementary foods in the Asia Pacific region. The foods being used at present are often of low nutrient density may provide insufficient amounts of some critical nutrients, and generally the variety is limited. Guidelines for complementary feeding are provided to assist in education and in public health planning.

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