Introduction: Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs) play an important role in developing cognitive function in children, especially Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA). However, there is no suitable dietary assessment tool to assess DHA intake among Malaysian children. Thus, this study assessed the validity of an interviewer-administered semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for estimating DHA intake among Malay school children in the Sepang District.
Methods: Thirty 12-year-old Malay children (13 boys and 17 girls) were recruited through purposive sampling. Their DHA intake for one month duration was assessed using a 30-food item FFQ and validated against a 3-day food record.
Results: The majority of the subjects (70%) had normal body mass index, 6.7% were overweight, 16.7% obese, whilst the rest were in the thin category. The reliability of FFQ was found to be good with a Cronbach’s α coefficient value of 0.815. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test indicated no significant difference in mean intake between the two assessment methods. Significant and strong correlation between FFQ and the 3-day food record was found for total omega-3 PUFAs (r=0.812)and DHA (r=0.839) using both methods. BlandAltman analysis exhibited no apparent systematic bias between the two methods for DHA and total omega-3 PUFAs intake, whilst a quartile analysis assigned 73.3% of the subjects into the same quartile.
Conclusion: The FFQ was found to be valid in estimating DHA intake among Malay school children, and it is recommended that its validity be tested on other ethnic population groups.
Purpose – Evidences have shown that participation in a cardiac rehabilitation programme improves outcomes and quality of life for cardiac patients. Hospital Serdang has conducted this programme since 2007 and it is the first to be run by the Rehabilitation Medicine Department. The purpose of this survey is to find out whether the programme is suitable, informative and useful from the patient’s perspective as well as to determine whether the 6 weeks duration is sufficient.
Design/ methodology/approach - A patient feedback survey using a self-administered questionnaire on the programme was conducted from January 2008 to December 2010 in Hospital Serdang.
Findings - A total of 323 patients were invited to join the programme but only 182 completed the programme and took part in this survey. 30% of the patients thought that the six weeks programme was not enough for them. 100% of the respondents agreed that the programme was beneficial, well suited to their problems and were willing to promote the programme to their friends. Therefore, it is recommended that this programme be extended to the community level.
Conclusion - In conclusion, this programme is beneficial, suitable, informative and adequate from the patient’s point of view. Extension of this programme into the community as a continuation of the hospital-based programme is likely to improve the outcome further.
Introduction: Hypercholesterolemia is an important modifiable risk factor for coronary heart disease. Lifestyle changes in diet and physical activity can improve cholesterol levels. This study aimed to compare the fruits and vegetables (FV) intake and physical activity (PA) between hypercholesterolemic adults and non- hypercholesterolemic adults in Malaysia, and to investigate factors associated with meeting the recommended levels of FV intake and PA in a hyper- cholesterolemic population. Methods: This study was based on 17,988 participants (response rate 98.7%) aged 18 years and above who responded to the hypercholesterolemia questionnaire in the 2011 Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), a cross-sectional study with two-stage stratified sampling design. Data were obtained by trained enumerators via face-to-face interviews and were analysed by descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Out of the total population assessed, 39.0% had hypercholesterolemia. The prevalence of consuming five or more servings of FV per day is low (7.8%) while 36.0% were physically inactive among the hypercholesterolemic adults. No significant differences were observed in FV intake and PA between hypercholesterolemic and non-hypercholesterolemic populations. Gender, age and educational levels were associated with FV intake and PA among hypercholesterolemic adults. Hypercholesterolemic adults who were underweight or obese were less likely to consume FV, while those who were former smokers and those who had diabetes and heart disease were less likely to be physically active. Conclusion: These findings are relevant for future health promotion strategies, suggesting that more intensive interventions are needed to increase FV intake and PA level in hypercholesterolemic population and in the general population.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2011)