METHODS: A total of 166 primary caregivers of the under three children of the aboriginal community in Kuala Langat district, Selangor were recruited. Data related to caregivers', child's and environmental factors were collected using a validated and reliable questionnaire, with knowledge, attitude and practice being the dependent variables. IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25.0 was used to analyse the data. Pearson's correlation was conducted to identify the relationship between continuous data. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice related to hygiene, as well as the predictors.
RESULTS: The mean scores for knowledge, attitude and practice related to hygiene were 6.91 (2.12), 23.67 (3.16), 29.97 (3.55) and 43.05 (4.41), respectively. Significant moderate positive correlations were found between attitude and hygiene practice (r = 0.445, P
METHOD: A total of 557 public hospital HCWs in Melaka were recruited via probability sampling. A questionnaire guided by the theory of planned behaviour was developed, pre-tested and distributed. Malaysians with a minimum employment period of 12 months who experienced WPV within the same period in the selected public hospitals were eligible for inclusion. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between the independent variables and WPV reporting.
RESULTS: Psychological violence was the most common WPV (80.3%), with only 177 (31.8%) respondents reporting such. The respondents who had high subjective norm (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.160, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.32-3.53) and perceived behavioural control scores (AOR=3.976, 95% CI=2.41-6.55); were clinical (AOR=2.679, 95% CI=1.43-5.02) and non-clinical (AOR=4.271, 95% CI=2.23-8.18) support staff; experienced physical WPV (AOR=13.157, 95% CI=3.83-45.24) and both physical and psychological WPV (AOR=2.029, 95% CI= 1.13-3.65); and perceived that WPV was intentional (AOR=11.111, 95% CI=6.50-19.00) were more likely to report WPV.
CONCLUSION: HCWs who experience physical WPV have the highest likelihood to report, followed by those who perceive WPV as intentional. The prevalence of reported WPV among public hospital HCWs is low, potentially underestimating its true occurrence owing to underreporting. Ensuring readily available reporting mechanisms for WPV, especially the psychological type, is crucial for HCWs.
METHODS: This study employs a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey of 300 older persons over 60 years living in the six urban districts of Xi'an city. Data were collected using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). This study employed descriptive statistics and inferential methods to analyze the data. The inferential methods applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesis of the mediator role of health literacy between the presence of chronic disease and psychological distress.
RESULTS: In this study, chronic disease had an effect on health literacy among older persons living in Xi'an city (β=-0.047, p
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 Malaysian elderly participants aged 60 years and older who live in Kuala Lumpur. Twelve neighbourhood associations were randomly selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data was collected using standardized and validated questionnaire by face-to-face interview technique with which was conducted by trained interviewers.
RESULTS: Mean age of the participants was 65.33 (5.87) year old with majority were still married. Female (55.7%) reported more sexual problems as evidenced by the higher proportion of those with lacked interest in having sex (72.5%), find sex is unpleasant (34.8%) and unable to come to orgasm (55.1%). Gender was found to have significant impact on every model obtained in the analysis for both sexual problems and perceptions. Female elderly were 10.6 times more likely to have sexual problem compared to male elderly (OR = 10.64, P
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1294 married Malaysian older couples who were randomly selected from all 14 states in Malaysia. The data were collected by trained enumerators using a set of validated questionnaires consisting of eight sections, namely sociodemographic characteristics, chronic diseases, perceived health status, life satisfaction, body mass index, disability status (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule), social support (Lubben Social Network Scale) and sexual intimacy.
RESULTS: Having good social support (AOR 0.57, 95% CI 0.45-0.74) from family and friends were protective determinants against poor sexual intimacy in later life. Meanwhile, those who were aged 70-79 years (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.35-2.42), aged >80 years (AOR 35.49, 95% CI 4.80-262.18), women (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.90), non-Malay (AOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.50-2.48), received only informal education (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 1.35-2.42), had gastritis (AOR 2.62, 95% CI 1.58-4.34), had a stroke (AOR 3.83, 95% CI 1.04-14.12), perceived their current health status was satisfactory (AOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.15-2.00) and disabled based on the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (AOR 3.14, 95% CI 1.34-7.36) were at risk of poor sexual intimacy.
CONCLUSIONS: The majority of older Malaysian couples were having poor sexual intimacy despite being still married and sleeping with their partners, reflecting the presence of underlying barriers towards sexual intimacy in later life among older Malaysians. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 492-496.
OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed at critically evaluating the available evidence on the risk factors of khat chewing among adolescents.
METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on published research studies from five databases Scopus, PubMed, Science-direct, Ovid and google scholar using keywords khat chewing OR qat chewing AND associated factors OR risk factors OR contributing factors AND adolescents OR teenagers. Articles included were either cross-sectional, cohort, case-control or qualitative studies which were published between the year 1990 till present. Excluded articles were the non-English written articles, descriptive studies and irrelevant topics being studied.
RESULTS: Out of 2617 records identified and screened, six were included for the analysis and interpretation of the data. All included studies were cross-sectional study design. All six studies reported having family members who chewed khat significantly predict khat chewing among adolescents, followed by five articles for friends or peers who also chewed khat and four articles for male gender. Smoking was also found to have the highest odds (OR = 18.2; 95% CI: 12.95-25.72) for khat chewing among adolescents.
CONCLUSION: The review highlights the crucial role of family members, friends or peers and male gender to predict khat chewing among adolescents. Effectiveness of health promotion programs to educate and reduce khat chewing among adolescents will require active participation of family members and friends.
BACKGROUND: The complications of diabetes among older people are a major health concern. Foot problems such as neuropathy, ulcer and ultimately amputation are a great burden on older people with diabetes. Diabetes foot education programmes can influence the behaviour of older people in practising foot self-care and controlling the foot problems. However, the educational approaches used by the educators are different. Therefore, it is important to assess the education programmes from various evidence-based practices.
DESIGN: Six databases, EBSCOhost medical collections (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection), SAGE, Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink and Web of Science, were used to search for articles published from January 2000 to March 2015. The search was based on the inclusion criteria and keywords including 'foot', 'care' and 'diabetes'. Fourteen studies were assessed and reviewed in the final stage.
CONCLUSIONS: Health education programmes varied according to their design, setting, approach, outcome measured and results. Foot assessment, verbal and written instructions and discussion were proved to improve the foot self-care and foot problems. Subsequent follow-ups and evaluations had a significant effect. An improvement was observed in foot self-care scores and foot problems (such as neuropathy, foot disability, lesion, ulcer, tinea pedis and callus grade) after implementation of the health education programme.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study support the claim that a health education programme increases the foot self-care scores and reduces the foot problems. However, there were certain methodological concerns in the reviewed articles, indicating the need for further evaluation. In future, researchers and practitioners must implement a vigorous education programme focusing on diabetes foot self-care among the older population.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether a novel mHealth intervention is useful in enhancing antihypertensive therapy adherence and treatment outcomes among patients with hypertension in a low- to middle-income country.
METHODS: A 6-month parallel, single-blinded, superiority randomized controlled trial recruited 439 patients with hypertension with poor adherence to antihypertensive therapy and access to smartphones. An innovative, multifaceted mHealth intervention (Multi-Aid-Package), based on the Health Belief Model and containing reminders (written, audio, visual), infographics, video clips, educational content, and 24/7 individual support, was developed for the intervention group; the control group received standard care. The primary outcome was self-reported medication adherence measured using the Self-Efficacy for Appropriate Medication Adherence Scale (SEAMS) and pill counting; the secondary outcome was systolic blood pressure (SBP) change. Both outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 6 months. Technology acceptance feedback was also assessed at the end of the study. A generalized estimating equation was used to control the covariates associated with the probability of affecting adherence to antihypertensive medication.
RESULTS: Of 439 participants, 423 (96.4%) completed the study. At 6 months post intervention, the median SEAMS score was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the controls (median 32, IQR 11 vs median 21, IQR 6; U=10,490, P
METHODS: This study used secondary data from a population-based health survey in Malaysia, namely the National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2018: Elderly Health. The analysis included 926 community-dwelling geriatric population aged 60 and above with low social support. The primary data collection was from August to October 2018, using face-to-face interviews. This paper reported the analysis of depression as the dependent variable, while various biological, psychological and social factors, guided by established biopsychosocial models, were the independent variables. Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify the factors. Analysis was performed using the complex sampling module in the IBM SPSS version 29.
RESULTS: The weighted prevalence of depression among the community-dwelling geriatric population aged 60 and above with low social support was 22.5% (95% CI: 17.3-28.7). This was significantly higher than depression among the general geriatric Malaysian population. The factors associated with depression were being single, as compared to those married (aOR 2.010, 95% CI: 1.063-3.803, p: 0.031), having dementia, as opposed to the absence of the disease (aOR 3.717, 95% CI: 1.544-8.888, p: 0.003), and having a visual disability, as compared to regular visions (aOR 3.462, 95% CI: 1.504-7.972, p: 0.004). The analysis also revealed that a one-unit increase in control in life and self-realisation scores were associated with a 32.6% (aOR: 0.674, 95% CI: 0.599-0.759, p
METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was conducted for 12 weeks among older adults with diabetes in elderly care facility in Peninsular Malaysia. Six elderly care facility were randomly allocated by an independent person into two groups (intervention and control). The intervention group (three elderly care facility) received a health education program on foot self-care behaviour while the control group (three elderly care facility) received standard care. Participants were assessed at baseline, and at week-4 and week-12 follow-ups. The primary outcome was foot-self-care behaviour. Foot care self-efficacy (efficacy expectation), foot care outcome expectation, knowledge of foot care and quality of life were the secondary outcomes. Data were analysed with Mixed Design Analysis of Variance using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0.
RESULTS: 184 respondents were recruited but only 76 met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis. Foot self-care behaviour, foot care self-efficacy (efficacy expectation), foot care outcome expectation and knowledge of foot care improved in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). However, some of these improvements did not significantly differ compared to the control group for QoL physical symptoms and QoL psychosocial functioning (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The self-efficacy enhancing program improved foot self-care behaviour with respect to the delivered program. It is expected that in the future, the self-efficacy theory can be incorporated into diabetes education to enhance foot self-care behaviour for elderly with diabetes living in other institutional care facilities.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12616000210471.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaires, recruiting 374 UTAR's students as the respondents by using convenience sampling method. Respondents were categorized as having good/poor level of knowledge and positive/negative attitude towards HPV vaccination.
RESULTS: Over half of the respondents were females (64.5%) and the majority were aged 20 years old and below (55.8%). Generally, 54.7% of the total respondents had a high level of knowledge towards HPV vaccine while 57.5% of the total respondents showed a negative attitude towards HPV vaccine. Female respondents aged 20 years old and below showed good knowledge (56.4%) and a more positive attitude (55.8%) towards HPV vaccine. Students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) exhibited higher knowledge (67.3%) and positive attitude (62.4%) as compared to the Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) which showed only 32.7% of knowledge and 37.6% of positive attitude towards the HPV vaccination.
CONCLUSION: The majority of UTAR students possess good knowledge regarding HPV vaccination. Nonetheless, they demonstrated a negative attitude towards HPV vaccination, depicting the necessity to impart and further intensify the sense of health awareness among all students, especially among male students. The judicious use of social media apart from the conventional mass media should be an advantage as to enhance the practice of HPV vaccination among them and thereafter minimize the health and economic burdens of cervical cancer.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop, validate, implement, and evaluate the effects of a Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)-based health education intervention on depression (SCODESS), as well as cancer-related knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived stress, coping skills, and social support among mothers of children with cancer at University Hospitals in Klang Valley.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with mothers from two University Hospitals in Klang Valley, Selangor. The intervention group is Hospital Pakar Kanak-Kanak Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HPKK UKM) and the control group is the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). A total of 95 participants were included (50 intervention, 45 control). The intervention comprised online health education videos delivered over one week, and the control group received a poster. Data were collected at baseline (T1), immediately post-intervention (T2), and at two months post-intervention (T3). The effects of SCODESS intervention were analysed using Generalised Estimating Equation (GEE) analysis.
RESULTS: The baseline response rate was 60.53% with a 2.17% loss to follow-up at T2 and 7.60% at T3. The GEE analysis showed no significant effects of SCODESS intervention on depression scores at T2 (p = 0.909) and T3 (p = 0.622) compared to the control group at baseline. However, statistically significant increases were observed in cancer-related knowledge scores at T2 (β = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.21, 9.20, p = 0.002) and T3 (β = 1.18, 95%CI: 0.65, 1.70, p<0.001), and in the problem-focused coping scores at T2 (β = 2.50, 95% CI 0.42, 4.58, p-value = 0.018), and T3 (β = 2.42, 95% CI 0.13, 4.72, p-value = 0.038) in the intervention group compared to the control group at baseline. No significant intervention effects were observed on other outcomes.
DISCUSSION: This study validated the applicability of SCT-based intervention on depression scores among mothers of children with cancer. The SCODESS intervention did not significantly reduce depression scores but significantly increased cancer-related knowledge and problem-focused coping scores. As a potential preventive strategy for depression, the content of the SCODESS intervention should be revisited, emphasizing cancer-related knowledge and problem-focused coping as crucial components. It is recommended that tailored interventions focusing on these areas be offered to every mother of children with cancer, whether they are in the ward, clinic, or daycare.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023, using a valid and reliable self-administered six sections questionnaire consisting of; (i) sociodemographic, (ii) work-related factors, (iii) MHSU, (iv) perception of stigmatisation by others, (v) enabling factors, and (vi) need factors. Respondents were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling based on job categories. Multiple Logistic Regression using SPSS version 26 was used to determine the predictors of MHSU.
RESULTS: A total of 294 respondents participated in this study, with a response rate of 83.5%. The 12-months MHSU prevalence was 45.6%. Mental health services were predominantly utilised for screening (96.3%) and treatment purposes (28.4%), primarily accessed through health clinics (85.1%), and interaction with paramedics (44.0%) and medical officers (38.8%). Significant drivers predicting MHSU were B40 household income (aOR = 3.426, 95% CI: 1.588, 7.393, p-value = 0.002) and M40 household income (aOR = 3.781, 95% CI: 1.916, 7.460, p-value<0.001), low supervisor support (aOR = 2.302, 95% CI: 1.206, 4.392, p-value = 0.011), received mental health training (aOR = 2.058, 95% CI: 1.221, 3.469, p-value = 0.007) and high co-worker support (aOR = 1.701, 95% CI: 1.034, 2.798, p-value = 0.036).
CONCLUSION: Almost half of respondents used mental health services, predicted by lower and middle household income, received mental health training and high co-worker support. Conversely, MHSU was also predicted by low supervisor support. To sustain high levels of MHSU, it is essential to implement regular mental health training targeted HCWs with lower to middle household incomes and those experiencing low supervisor support, while simultaneously enhancing co-worker support and screening program for early detection of mental health problems.
METHODS: To fill this gap, electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Sagepub, CINAHL, Psychology, and Behavioral Sciences Collection were searched for relevant studies. A total of 16 studies were included in the systematic review.
RESULTS: The analyses showed that the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress ranged from 14.3% to 81.7%, 8.0% to 81.7%, and 0.9% to 56.5% respectively. Adult populations demonstrated the highest prevalence of depression, whereas university students reported the highest prevalence of anxiety and stress. Several factors were associated with mental health conditions including age, gender, family income, and perception of COVID-19.
CONCLUSION: Differentials in mental health screening practices call for standardised screening practices. Mental health intervention should be targeted at high-risk populations with effective risk communication.