This study was conducted to determine the effects of increased edible palm oil consumption on community health status in the aboriginal communities in Tual Post (treatment group) and Sinderut Post (control group), Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Nutritional status, blood pressure, lipid profiles, fasting blood glucose (FBG), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels and lipid peroxidation product (malonaldehyde) levels were taken as indicators of health status. This is a pre-and post-controlled community trial in which similar variables were measured in each group. Every family of 2–6 household members was given 2–5 kg cooking palm oil per month for a period of 18 months. All subjects were measured for height (cm), weight (kg) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). For calorie intake measurement, house-to-house interviews were conducted using 24-hour dietary recall method. Blood pressure, percent body fat, lipid profiles, namely total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were also measured. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) levels and lipid peroxidation products (MDA) were also determined. There was a significant increase (p
Patient understanding and perception of diabetes control is important if clinicians were to allow diabetes patients to play a central role in management of their illness. We conducted a survey to see what diabetic patients generally thought of their understanding of disease and glycemic control; if these perceptions were accurate and related to complications.
One hundred and eight consecutive patients (mean age 52.7± 13 years, BMI 27±5.2 kg/m2, HbA1c 9.2±2.2 %) attending diabetes clinic participated including 63% women, 60% primary or no education, and 47% duration of diabetes >10 years. 54% claimed to have a good understanding although nearly half answered questions on diabetes management and targets wrongly. 32% perceived their glycemic control to be good and were found to have lower baseline HbA1c (p