Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 82 in total

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  1. Quek KF
    Int J Urol, 2005 Dec;12(12):1032-6.
    PMID: 16409605
    This study aimed to evaluate the association of factors such as pain, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), anxiety, depression and psychiatric morbidity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with LUTS.
  2. Nur Azma Amin, RM Noah, Oxley JA, Quek KF, Rusli BN
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) is an alarming occupational health concern
    worldwide. Nurses are among the professional at high risk of WRMSDs. Objective: This study explores
    the prevalence WRMSDs and the association with work engagement among nurses. Methods: This
    cross-sectional study used self-administered survey was disseminated to female nurses working at the
    hospitals in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. The Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (N-SNMQ)
    was used to determine the annual prevalence of WRMSDs. Level of work engagement was assessed
    using Utrecht Work Engagement (M-UWES). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess
    the association between WRMSDs and work engagement. Results: This study received high response
    rate (83.3%) with annual prevalence of 73.1%. Most common WRMSDs was reported in neck (48.9%)
    followed by feet (47.2%) while least was documented in arms and elbows (6.6%). After covariates
    adjustment (age, years of employment), the adjusted logistic regression analyses highly engaged nurses
    (AOR:0.71-0.74, 95%CI 0.56 – 0.95) were found to be unlikely sustained of WRMSDs. Conclusion: The
    findings of this study addressed high prevalence of WRMSDs among nurses. High work engagement
    could facilitate to reduce risk of WRMSDs, hence offer preventive strategies, making a substantial impact
    on reducing WRMSDs.
  3. Yogeetha R, Raman R, Quek KF
    Singapore Med J, 2007 Apr;48(4):304-6.
    PMID: 17384876
    This study aims to assess the difference in nasal patency and resistance to temperature changes objectively and subjectively.
  4. Loh SY, Quek K
    Int J Appl Basic Med Res, 2011 Jul;1(2):84-8.
    PMID: 23776783 DOI: 10.4103/2229-516X.91150
    OBJECTIVE: The Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI), a measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer, was used to examine the feasibility and impact of a self-management program for women with breast cancer. This controlled clinical trial was conducted on newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, using a time series, block design. Sixty-nine patients were allocated to receive four weekly sessions of the self-management training program, while 78 patients were allocated to the control (usual-care) group.

    RESULTS: A significant difference was found between the means of the experimental and the control group at post-test (T2; P=.01) and at follow-up (T3; P=.02). The multivariate analyses of the three repeated measures showed significant differences (P=.001; partial eta-squared = 0.092). Pair-wise comparison shows that the differences were significant between baseline (T1) measure and follow-up (T3) measure (P=.01), and between post-test (T2) and follow-up (T3) (P=.03).

    CONCLUSION: For women undergoing intervention, the cancer-specific self-efficacy as measured by the cancer-behavior-coping inventory showed improvement over time. The result demonstrated that the self-management program to improve self-care correlates significantly with coping behavior in cancer. A larger and longer study of this efficacy-enhancing intervention is warranted.

  5. Ahmad B, Ramadas A, Quek KF
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Dec;65(4):273-6.
    PMID: 21901944 MyJurnal
    The study's aim was to construct and validate a diabetes mellitus knowledge questionnaire in Bahasa Malaysia for Orang Asli (OA-DKQ). The questionnaire was administered to; case (Orang Asli) and control (administrative staff) groups at baseline and retested two weeks later. The Cronbach's Alpha was used to determine internal consistency and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine test-retest reliability. The OA-DKQ has an internal consistency of 0.806. These findings suggest the OA-DKQ is an acceptable instrument to assess knowledge and preventive behaviour in Orang Asli (86 words).
  6. Quek KF, Hokama T, Yogi C
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2006;18(1):24-8.
    PMID: 16629435
    The aim of this study is to highlight the baseline characteristics of the results of a screening test for anaemia among infants in a village in Okinawa, Japan. The groups were classified into two; infants with and without anaemia. A total of 201 infants were screened at 3-4 months, 9-10 months and 18 months. The study showed that gestational age and BMI were predictive of anaemia at 3-4 months of age. At 9-10 months, types of feeding and weight ratio were the only factors that were found to be significantly predictive of anaemia. However, no factor was found to be predictive of anaemia at 18 months. Anaemia cases were found to occur at 3-4 months and 9-10 months. Most of the anaemia cases have successfully undergone treatment.
  7. Loh SY, Than W, Quek KF
    J Occup Rehabil, 2011 Dec;21(4):493-500.
    PMID: 21365305 DOI: 10.1007/s10926-011-9287-3
    INTRODUCTION: Chronic pressure at work has debilitating impact on healthcare employers (e.g. reduced productivity, high costs, poor patient care) and on female healthcare employees (e.g. sickness, dysfunction). This paper highlights relationship at work as the key occupational source of work-stress which is organisational in nature.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study (n = 230) was conducted using the Pressure Management Inventory on several female dominated health professions within a large public hospital. Analysis of variance was used to show relationship between sources and outcome of pressure. Linear regressions were used to predict which sources of pressure (IV) was linked to the outcomes of occupational pressure (DV).

    RESULTS: The number one source of occupational pressure is relationships at work (i.e. with supervisors), and not workload. 'Relationship' is also the key predictor of several negative outcomes of pressure at work. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in two sources of pressures, i.e. Workload (P = 0.04) and Home-work balance (P = 0.03).

    CONCLUSION: This paper provides insights into the occupational pressure of women health professionals by highlighting the organisational sources of pressure and the implications for preventing occupational dysfunction secondary to stress at work.

  8. Sham EH, Prepageran N, Raman R, Quek KF
    Med J Malaysia, 2007 Dec;62(5):361-3.
    PMID: 18705465 MyJurnal
    This is a cross-sectional study design aimed to determine the prevalence of Chorda Tympani Nerve (CTN) injury and related symptoms following myringoplasty. Thirty patients were included in this study. The methods used were measuring taste thresholds using electrogustometer to map taste threshold on the anterior two-third of the tongue on the operated side with the non operated side as the control. Reading is taken when the subject experiences sour/metallic taste. All corresponding threshold values and findings were recorded and compared to control. Results showed 50% of patients had elevated threshold levels suggestive of CTN injury. However, none of the patients reported subjective taste loss. This study concludes that the prevelance rate of CTN injury in post myringoplasty patients is about 50% but this is not associated with altered taste sensation.
  9. Zainal SB, Quek KF, Biswajit C
    Med J Malaysia, 2005 Dec;60(5):540-7.
    PMID: 16515103
    To determine the relationship between socio-demography, knowledge and attitude regarding prostatism among male in-patients in Teluk Intan Hospital. Two hundred respondents were recruited. Questionnaires that consist of demographic data such as age, ethnicity and religion and some question that pertaining knowledge and awareness were used. The questions eliciting symptoms of prostatism were based on the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). 76.0% of the respondents were symptomatic as they presented with prostatic symptoms. The prevalence of asymptomatic cases is higher (6.7%) among the adults whereas the percentage in elderly respondents is higher than the adults in moderate to severe cases (p < 0.001). Only 10% of respondents have heard about prostatism and mass media is ranked highest as the most preferred source of information regarding this matter with 66.7% preference. About 85.70% of respondents who had a severe score and 18.5% who had a moderate score were dissatisfied with their quality of life due to prostatic symptoms. This study provides a deeper understanding on the prevalence and severity of the prostatic symptoms and its association with the quality of life. It also illustrates low awareness, poor health seeking behaviour and poor knowledge pertaining to prostatism among the study population.
  10. Fauziah N, Quek KF, Agus Salim MB
    MyJurnal
    Recent years have witnessed unprecedented changes in the design and demands of work, and the emergence of job stress as a major concern. The aim of the study was to determine the psychosocial problems in relation to nature of work among female nurses at Hospital Selayang. The study was a cross-sectional study and the study population comprised of female nurses who are currently working at Hospital Selayang. A total of 393 study subjects were randomly selected and each respondent has been given a set of complete validated self-administrated Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. The result showed that the prevalence of having psychosocial problems was 24.9%. It is show that married nurses with more than three children has 3.54 (95%CI: 1.81-6.94) higher risks to have the problems compared to those with 3 or less children. Shiftwork nurses have 1.74 (95%CI: 1.01-2.99) more risk to have psychosocial problems compared to those who are not doing shiftwork. From the crude odds ratio, nurses who have served the service for more than seven years, there was 1.53 times more risk (95%CI: 0.89-2.63) to have psychosocial problems compared to those who only have service of seven years or less. From multivariate analysis, the risk of having psychosocial problems among nurses who are doing shiftwork found to be two times greater than those who are not doing shiftwork (OR=2.15; 95%CI: 1.12- 4.11) . Psychosocial problems in relation to nature of work among nurses at Hospital Selayang are higher among nurses who are doing shdtwork. The hospital management needs to overcome the problems and organizing the mental health programs among workers.
  11. Quek. KF, Abdul Rashid M, Lingam SS
    MyJurnal
    Cancer of uterine cervix is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide, second only to breast cancer in incidence and mortality. Industrialized countries have dramatically reduced the incidence of mortality from cervical cancer in the last 50 years through aggressive screening programs utilizing pelvic examinations and Papanicolaou (pap) smears. The main objective of the study was to determine the relationship between socio-demography, knowledge, attitude and practice regarding pap smear screening among female patients in Hospital Teluk Intan. There was statistically significant association between level of knowledge and practice (p
  12. Mahadzir MDA, Quek KF, Ramadas A
    PMID: 32290570 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082641
    Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors that increases the risk for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle intervention is the gold standard of MetS management and prevention. Despite the growing positive influence of peer support-based interventions on management of various chronic diseases, its potential among adults with MetS has not been elucidated. We describe the development and process evaluation of a nutrition and lifestyle behavior "PEeR SUpport program for ADults with mEtabolic syndrome" (PERSUADE) using a systematic five-step approach-(i) review of evidence; (ii) focus group discussions; (iii) behavioral matrix development; (iv) module development; and (v) feasibility and process evaluation. High program adherence was recorded with 81.3% of participants attending all peer sessions. Participants' content satisfaction score was high (93.3%) while peer leadership score was satisfactory (70.0%). There were significant reductions in all anthropometric and metabolic parameters assessed post intervention, except for diastolic blood pressure. Significant correlations were found between reductions in body fat and triglyceride, and content satisfaction. Peer leadership was only significantly correlated with reduction in triglyceride. Future studies can explore aspects of module interactivity, use of social media, and other means to stimulate consistent engagement of participants, as well as extending the implementations to other lifestyle-related diseases.
  13. Ramadas A, Quek KF, Chan CK, Oldenburg B
    Int J Med Inform, 2011 Jun;80(6):389-405.
    PMID: 21481632 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2011.02.002
    Introduction: The Internet has emerged as a potentially effective medium for information exchange. The Internet's potential has been recognised and web-based education programmes have been steadily adopted in recent years in preventing and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. This review provides a descriptive discussion of web-based behavioural interventions for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
    Method: Systematic literature searches were performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Cochrane Library to retrieve articles published between 2000 and June 2010 which fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Methodological quality assessment and data synthesis were then performed.
    Results: Twenty articles representing 13 different studies were reviewed. None of the studies were ranked as low in the methodological quality. Goal-setting, personalised coaching, interactive feedback and online peer support groups were some of the successful approaches which were applied in e-interventions to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus. Strong theoretical background, use of other technologies and longer duration of intervention were proven to be successful strategies as well.
    Conclusion: The web-based interventions have demonstrated some level of favourable outcomes, provided they are further enhanced with proper e-research strategies.
  14. Mahadzir MDA, Quek KF, Ramadas A
    Nutrients, 2020 Apr 15;12(4).
    PMID: 32326541 DOI: 10.3390/nu12041091
    BACKGROUND: While peer support interventions have shown to benefit adults with certain chronic conditions, there is limited evidence on its feasibility and effectiveness among people with metabolic syndrome (MetS). This paper describes the outcomes of a pre-post feasibility trial of "PEeR SUpport program for ADults with mEtabolic syndrome" (PERSUADE), an evidence-based and community-specific nutrition and lifestyle behavior peer support program for Malaysian adults with MetS.

    METHODS: We recruited 48 peers (median age: 46 (IQR = 11) years old) into four peer groups, who underwent 3 months of PERSUADE, followed by 3 months of follow-up period. Statistical analyses were conducted at post-intervention and post-follow-up to assess the changes in nutrition intake, anthropometry, and metabolic parameters.

    RESULTS: Although there were significant overall increases in total carbohydrate intake and glycemic load (both p < 0.001), we noted significant reductions in the intakes of total energy and fat (both p < 0.001). Physical activity (total METS/week) also showed a significant improvement (p < 0.001). Overall, significant but marginal improvements in anthropometric and vital metabolic parameters were also observed.

    CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility trial supported the adoption of PERSUADE, though there is a need to assess the long-term impact of the peer support program in local community settings.

  15. Lee KX, Quek KF, Ramadas A
    Curr Nutr Rep, 2023 Dec;12(4):733-743.
    PMID: 38038894 DOI: 10.1007/s13668-023-00513-9
    PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Obesity is a growing public health concern worldwide, especially among young adults. This scoping review aims to identify and summarize the current evidence on dietary and lifestyle risk factors associated with obesity among young adults.

    RECENT FINDINGS: A scoping review was performed using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search of five electronic databases published from inception to October 2023 was conducted. A total of 46 observational studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The findings suggest that high intake of energy-dense foods, unhealthy eating habits, poor sleep quality, and increased screen time were significant risk factors for obesity among young adults. In contrast, the association between obesity and sedentary behavior, low physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits was inconclusive. The reviewed evidence suggests that unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyle behaviors are associated with an increased risk of obesity among young adults. The findings highlight the need for further research on these modifiable risk factors to prevent and manage obesity among young adults.

  16. Loh SY, Packer T, Chinna K, Quek KF
    J Cancer Surviv, 2013 Sep;7(3):331-42.
    PMID: 23519654 DOI: 10.1007/s11764-013-0274-x
    PURPOSE: Patient self-management enables living with a chronic disease effectively. This study examines the effectiveness of a 4-week self-management programme to enable self-management of the numerous after-effects and with breast cancer as a chronic disease.
    METHODS: Upon ethical approval, 147 multiethnic survivors (stages I-III breast cancer) received either a 4-week self-management intervention (n = 68) or usual care (n = 78) on a controlled clinical trial in a medical centre. The facilitator-led group intervention provides self-management support and skills for managing the medical, emotional and role tasks. Survivors completed the pre- and post-intervention measures on quality of life, distress and participation inventory.
    RESULTS: Multiple analyses of covariance (adjusted for baseline measures) showed significant differences between groups [F(6, 129) = 2.26, p = 0.04 at post-test and F(6, 129) = 4.090, p 
  17. Loh SY, Chew SL, Lee SY, Quek KF
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2011;12(6):1497-501.
    PMID: 22126488
    INTRODUCTION: Today, cancer survivors have an added new role to self manage living with the medical, emotional and role tasks that can affect their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the QOL of women two years after participating in a self-management intervention program.

    METHOD: The clinical trial was conducted at University Malaya Medical Centre between 2006 and 2008. The experimental group underwent a 4-week self management program, and the control group underwent usual care. Two years after the intervention, questionnaires were randomly posted out to the participants.

    RESULTS: A total of 51 questionnaires returned. There were statistically differences between groups in psychological, self-care, mobility and participation aspects in PIPP (p<0.05). The experimental group reported having higher confidence to live with breast cancer compared to control group (p<0.05). There were significant between-group changes in anxiety scores at T2 (immediately after intervention) to T4 (two years later), and the differences in anxiety scores within groups between time point T2 and T4 were significantly different (p<0.05).

    CONCLUSION: The SAMA program is potentially capable to serve as a model intervention for successful transition to survivorship following breast cancer treatment. The program needs to be further tested for efficacy in a larger trial involving more diverse populations of women completing breast cancer treatment.

  18. Loh SY, Lee SY, Quek KF, Murray L
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(12):6337-42.
    PMID: 23464455
    BACKGROUND: Clinical trials on cancer subjects have one of the highest dropout rates. Barriers to recruitment range from patient-related, through institutional-related to staff-related factors. This paper highlights the low response rate and the recruitment barriers faced in our Qigong exercises trial.

    MATERIALS AND METHOD: The Qigong trial is a three-arm trial with a priori power size of 114 patients for 80% power. The University Malaya Medical Centre database showed a total of 1,933 patients from 2006-2010 and 751 patients met our inclusion criteria. These patients were approached via telephone interview. 131 out of 197 patients attended the trial and the final response rate was 48% (n=95/197).

    RESULTS: Multiple barriers were identified, and were regrouped as patient- related, clinician-related and/or institutional related. A major consistent barrier was logistic difficulty related to transportation and car parking at the Medical Centre. conclusions: All clinical trials must pay considerable attention to the recruitment process and it should even be piloted to identify potential barriers and facilitators to reduce attrition rate in trials.

  19. Ahmad B, Khalid BA, Zaini A, Hussain NA, Quek KF
    Diabetes Res Clin Pract, 2011 Jul;93(1):e12-4.
    PMID: 21397969 DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2011.02.020
    The objective of this study was to elucidate influencing factors of HbA1C in various health care settings. The glycaemic control was suboptimal in all settings. Multivariate analysis confirmed three factors were significant in HbA1C outcome; insulin (p=0.000), medication (p=0.043) and ethnicity (p=0.000).
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