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  1. Faisal I, Matinnia N, Hejar AR, Khodakarami Z
    Midwifery, 2014 Feb;30(2):227-33.
    PMID: 24055288 DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2013.08.011
    to gain a deeper understanding of why Iranian primigravidae request caesarean section without any medical indication.
  2. Hejar AR, Chong FB, Rosnan H, Zailina H
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 Jun;59(2):226-32.
    PMID: 15559174 MyJurnal
    Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers among women in Malaysia. The relation between lifestyle practices and the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women aged 21-55 years were assessed using data collected from June to October 2001, via a face-to face interview in a case control study in the Breast Clinics of Kuala Lumpur Hospital and University Malaya Medical Centre. A total of 89 cases with breast cancer were compared with 85 controls without the disease. Our study showed that breastfeeding had an odds ratio of 4.43 after adjustment for confounders. The results add to the evidence of a protective association between breast feeding practices and breast cancer particularly among Chinese women receiving treatment at two government hospitals in the Klang Valley.
  3. Heng KS, Hejar AR, Rushdan AZ, Loh SP
    Malays J Nutr, 2013 Apr;19(1):77-86.
    PMID: 24800386 MyJurnal
    Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) as defined by the latest Harmonised definition and the agreement between the Harmonised definition and other definitions is poorly studied among Malaysians. This study was conducted to determine and compare the prevalence of MetSyn according to the Harmonised, International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP ATPIII) definitions among Malay staff of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
  4. Tan MC, Ng OC, Wong TW, Joseph A, Hejar AR, Rushdan AA
    Clin Nutr Res, 2015 Jan;4(1):18-31.
    PMID: 25713789 DOI: 10.7762/cnr.2015.4.1.18
    This analytical cross-sectional study examined the nutrient intakes, dietary compliance, dietary supplementation and traditional remedy usage in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients from selected tertiary hospitals in multi-racial Malaysia. We compared the different characteristics of T2DM patients with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). Socio-demographic status, dietary intakes, dietary supplementation, traditional remedy use, medical history, anthropometric measurements and clinical characteristics were obtained from face-to-face interviews. A total of 313 patients who were treated for T2DM participated in this study, in which 36.1% of them had CVD. The mean age of study subjects was 55.7 ± 9.2 years; mean diabetes duration was 10.1 ± 8.1 years; 52.1% were females; and 47.0% were Malays. The mean total energy intake of the subjects was 1674 ± 694 kcal/day, and patients with CVD consumed higher total calories (p = 0.001). Likewise, the mean carbohydrate, protein and total fat intake of CVD patients were significantly higher than non-CVD patients (p < 0.05), while mean intakes of cholesterol, fibre, minerals and all vitamins were comparable between CVD and non-CVD patients. Regardless of CVD status, a notably high proportion of the subjects did not meet the recommendations of the Medical Nutrition Therapy Guidelines for Type 2 Diabetes for total energy, carbohydrate, protein, total fat, and fibre intakes. Meanwhile, 52.4% used at least one dietary supplement and 12.1% took single traditional remedy or in various combinations. Traditional remedies and supplement intake did not differ between CVD and non-CVD subjects. It is suggested that T2DM patients should be educated based on their personalized dietary intake, dietary supplementation and traditional remedy usage. The recommendations for T2DM patients shall be met to achieve the optimal metabolic goals and minimize the potential diabetic complications.
  5. Tan MC, Wong TW, Ng OC, Joseph A, Hejar AR
    PMID: 24964674
    Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is common among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the components of MetS and the prevalence of CVD among patients with T2DM. We studied 313 patients aged > or = 30 years diagnosed with T2DM at two tertiary care hospitals. Patients were recruited by systematic random sampling. Clinical data was obtained using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire and from a review of their medical records. MetS was diagnosed using NCEP ATP III, WHO, IDF and the new Harmonized definitions. Specific MetS components such as BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, hypertension, HDL-C and triglyceride levels were evaluated to determine if they had an association with CVD. Thirty-six point one percent of the subjects had CVD. The mean age of the subjects was 55.7 +/- 9.2 years and the mean duration of having diabetes was 10.1 +/- 8.1 years. The overall prevalences of MetS (> or = 3 of 5 components) (95% CI) were 96.1% (94.0-98.3), 95.8% (93.6-98.1), 84.8% (80.8-88.9) and 97.7% (96.1-99.4) using NCEP ATP III, WHO, IDF and Harmonized definitions, respectively. Patients with MetS had a higher prevalence of CVD using NCEP ATP III (98.2% vs 93.5%), WHO (98.2% vs 93.0%), IDF (87.6% vs 82.0%) and Harmonized criteria (98.2% vs 96.0%). The greater the number of MetS components, the greater the chance of having CVD using three definitions for diagnosing MetS: WHO, IDF and Harmonized (p < 0.05). MetS and the combination of the individual components of MetS were significantly associated with CVD among type 2 diabetic patients in Malaysia. Aggressive treatment of MetS components is required to reduce cardiovascular risk in T2DM.
  6. Afiah MZ, Hejar AR, Kulanthayan KC, Fadhilah J, Law TH
    Med J Malaysia, 2006 Mar;61(1):41-7.
    PMID: 16708733 MyJurnal
    Smoking and alcohol intake patterns may persist from adolescence to adulthood. The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence and factors associated with smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in January 2003 among Form Six students from government schools in the Petaling District, Selangor. A hundred and thirty six self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students selected through multistage stratified sampling. Response rate in this study was 90.1% (136/151). The respondents were mainly Chinese 60 (44.1%) and female 88 (64.7%). The prevalence of smoking was 22.8%, whereas the prevalence of alcohol intake was 47.8%. Only 33.1% of the respondents practiced undetermined activities and 1.5% have undetermined characters. There were significant associations between smoking and males (Adjusted OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.02-6.43) and smoking and alcohol intake (Adjusted OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.11-6.78). Alcohol intake has significant negative association with Malays (Adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.03-0.27). Smoking habits among adolescents were associated with males and alcohol intake. However, only alcohol intake was negatively associated with Malays. Program interventions to reduce behavioral problems, particularly smoking and alcohol intake should be emphasized.
  7. Tan MC, Ng OC, Wong TW, Hejar AR, Anthony J, Sintonen H
    Singapore Med J, 2014 Apr;55(4):209-16.
    PMID: 24763837
    INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Malaysian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who have cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as identify the determinants of HRQoL among this cohort of patients.

    METHODS: This study was an analytical cross-sectional study involving 313 patients aged 30-78 years (150 men, 163 women; mean age 55.7 ± 9.2 years) who were diagnosed with T2DM (mean duration of T2DM 10.1 ± 8.1 years) at two tertiary Malaysian government hospitals. The patients' sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical and laboratory data were collected prospectively from medical records and via face-to-face interviews. HRQoL was assessed using the 15D instrument - a generic, 15-dimensional and standardised measure of HRQoL that can be used as both a profile and a single index score measure.

    RESULTS: T2DM patients with CVD were found to have significantly lower 15D HRQoL scores than their nonCVD counterparts (p < 0.001). The HRQoL of T2DM patients with CVD was significantly lower than those without CVD (p < 0.05) in all of the 15 dimensions of the 15D instrument. Multinomial logistic regression analysis using backward stepwise method revealed a significant association between CVD and impaired HRQoL (odds ratio [OR] 11.746, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.898-28.167). Age (OR 1.095, 95% CI 1.054-1.137), duration of T2DM (OR 1.085, 95% CI 1.032-1.140), ethnicity (OR 0.411, 95% CI 0.187-0.903), body mass index (OR 1.074, 95% CI 1.006-1.148), and physical activity level (OR 3.506, 95% CI 1.415-8.689) were also significant predictors of HRQoL.

    CONCLUSION: In T2DM patients, the presence of CVD was significantly associated with a lower HRQoL. Therefore, the importance of tertiary prevention to minimise the potential deterioration of the HRQoL of T2DM patients with CVD should be highly emphasised.
  8. Parsa P, Kandiah M, Mohd Nasir MT, Hejar AR, Nor Afiah MZ
    Singapore Med J, 2008 Nov;49(11):897-903.
    PMID: 19037556
    Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Malaysian women, and the use of breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography remain low in Malaysia. Therefore, there is a need to develop a valid and reliable tool to measure the beliefs that influence breast cancer screening practices. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS) is a valid and reliable tool to measure beliefs about breast cancer and screening methods in the Western culture. The purpose of this study was to translate the use of CHBMS into the Malaysian context and validate the scale among Malaysian women.
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