Relative Age Effects (RAE) is the effect of over-representation of relatively older athletes compared to their younger peers within the in the same age cohort. It is believed, that those born in earlier have been found to have a better physical and psychological advantage compared to the later-born individuals in their teens. This study is aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE among the athletes who represented Malaysia at the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. The birth months of the athletes (men = 463, women = 362) were analysed according to the quarterly distribution: (Q1: January to March; Q2: April to June; Q3: July to Sept; Q4: Oct to Dec). The Chi-Square goodness of fit (χ²) test revealed that the effect of RAE was prevalent for male athletes in the first quarter as compared to the fourth (Q1: 33% vs Q4: 21%); nonetheless, it is worth to note that no RAE was found among the female athletes. It was demonstrated from the study that amongst the medal winners, the male athletes born in the first quartile (32%) were significantly more than the other quartiles. Similarly, the same results were found among the female medal winners but in the second quartile (35%). Therefore, it could be concluded from the study that the selection of Malaysian SEA Games athletes was influenced by the relative age effects.
The proper disposal of pharmaceuticals has become a prime concern in contemporary healthcare and environmental management. The evolving awareness highlights the ecological and public health risks associated with pharmaceutical waste. Therefore, evaluating medication disposal patterns and public awareness regarding pharmaceutical-related environmental issues is crucial for promoting responsible practices. The primary aim of this study is to identify the determinants of participation in the Medicine Return Program (MRP) among Malaysians. This cross-sectional study employed snowball sampling and an online questionnaire, disseminated via multiple social media platforms. Results: Out of 389 respondents, 46% were 18 to 29 years old, 61% were female, and 69.7% attained a tertiary educational level. Most of them (71.5%) reported disposing of their unused medicines into the rubbish bin, indicating that this disposal method is prevalent among Malaysians. Only 26.2% participated in the MRP program. The study revealed that 73.0% of respondents were aware of pharmaceutical-related environmental contamination. Furthermore, significant associations were demonstrated between a factor of receiving advice from healthcare professionals (p < 0.001), awareness level on environmental pharmaceutical contamination (p < 0.001) and MRP (p < 0.001) and willingness to participate in MRP (p < 0.001) with MRP support. This study provides valuable insights on Malaysian pharmaceutical disposal practices and the factors influencing MRP participation. These findings can inform targeted interventions and public health campaigns to improve medication disposal behaviors and reduce pharmaceutical waste's environmental impact.