Introduction: It is estimated that 4.9 million people worldwide died in 2000 as a result of their addiction to nicotine, about half of them prematurely. This huge death toll is rising rapidly, especially in low and middle income countries where most of the world’s 1.2 billion tobacco users live.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine (i) the prevalence of smoking among the community aged 18 and above in Terengganu state, and (ii) the relationship between smoking and age, sex, educational level, family and peer influence.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used in this study and data was collected using a standardised pre-tested structured questionnaire.
Results: The overall mean age of the respondents was 38.9 (95% CI= 37.7 – 40.2) years. The majority of the respondents were Malays (99.1%). Of the 653 respondents, 32.2% and 23.6% were ever and current smokers respectively. Of this, 211 ever smokers, 199 (94.3%) were males and only 12 (5.7%) were females. The prevalence of ever and current smokers for males was 73.2% and 53.7% respectively compared to the females (3.1% and 2.1% respectively). There was a significant association between smoking status and sex (p<0.001). The prevalence of ever smokers was lowest amongst respondents with college or university educational level. However, for current smokers, those with college or university education had the highest prevalence. The overall mean initiation age of ever smokers was 19.7 years (95% CI = 18.8 – 20.7). The mean initiation age for the males (19. 1 years) was significantly lower compared to 29.8 years for the females (p<0.001). The mean duration of smoking for the current smokers was 21.6 (95% CI= 19.1 – 24) years. There was also no significant difference in the mean duration of current smoking for males compared to the females (p = 0.5). The majority (93.4%) of the ever smokers started either because their friends asked them to try or they were trying for fun. The quit ratio was 27%.
Conclusion : The prevalence of ever and current smokers in males is very high (73.2% and 53.7% respectively) compared with the females (3.1% and 2.1% respectively). The mean initiation age for the males (19.1 years) was significantly lower compared to 29.8 years for the females (p<0.001). Key words: Smoking, prevalence, initiation age, duration, Terengganu state
Objective: This study was conducted to determine prevalence and factors associated with obesity in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all districts of Selangor State. All individuals, 15 years and above in the selected households, were included. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Weight was recorded using TANITA model HD-309 and height was measured using SECA Body meter Model 208. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 8.2 taking into account the complex survey design. Results: The overall mean age of the 2219 respondents was 36.6(95% CI 35.7 – 37.6) years. There was no significant difference in the mean age of the males and females (p=0.697). The majority of the respondents were Malays (52.9%), followed by Chinese (30.9%), Indians (15.4%) and
other races (0.9%). The overall mean BMI was 24.1 kg/m2 (95% CI=23.8- 24.4). The overall prevalence of obesity was 12.2% (95% CI 10.6%, 14.0%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity in the males compared to females (p>0.05). The prevalence of obesity increased with age up to the ages of 40-59 years and then decreased after 60 years. The highest prevalence of obesity was in the 40-59 years age groups in both sexes. The overall prevalence of obesity was significantly higher amongst the Malays (15.2%) compared to the Indians (11.6%) and Chinese (7.3%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only age and ethnicity were associated with obesity. Sex and educational level were not associated with obesity.
Introduction: A cross-sectioned study was carried out on 1016 drug addicts from Johor state to better understand their profile.
Method: A structured questionnaire prepared in three languages was used to collect the data which was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.
Result & Discussion: The overall mean age of the respondents was 33.8 (95% CI= 33.3 - 34.4) years and ranged from 16 to 61 years. ANOVA post hoc multiple comparison tests showed that there was a significant difference in the mean age between Malays and Chinese (p<0.05). The majority of the respondents were Malay (79.6%) and had secondary education (72.1%) or primary education (21.7%). The majority (79%) was either semi-skilled or unskilled. More than 70% had mores than five siblings. About 36% of the respondents had past a history of discipline problem at school. The majority (99.6%) of the drugs addicts had smoked before and more than 90% were currently smoking. More than 80% had consumed alcoholic beverages. The majority did not use condom when they had sex. Only 24% stated that they did use a needle or syringe that had previously been used by someone else. Less than 4% had either bleached or boiled the needle or syringe that had previously been used by someone else. About 17% were tested positive for HIV. The mean age at which the respondents first started injecting drugs was 21.5 (95% CI= 20.7 - 22.2) years. ANOVA post hoc multiple comparison tests showed that there was no significant difference in the mean age of the different ethnic groups at which the respondents first started injecting drugs. The majority (84.2%) of the drug addicts started injecting drugs between 10 and 20 years of age. Friends introduced 80% of the drug addicts to drugs. The common reasons given for first taking drugs was " I was curious about the feeling of taking drugs (43.6%), "my friends asked me to try" (23.4%), "to release tension" (15.6%) and 5% stated "to try for fun", and 3% that they were "depressed". The majority (64.2%) of the drug addicts spend RM 500 or more per month on drugs and more than 10% of them spend as much as RM 1000 or more per month.
Conclusion: These results indicate an urgent need for a more comprehensive prevention program involving family, schools, commmunities and the media and aimed at reducing drug abuse. Keywords: Profile, drug addicts, Malaysia
A cross sectional study was conducted in Kelantan state with the objectives to determine the prevalence of smoking in 2004 and to determine the relationship between smoking and age, sex, educational level, family and peer influence. All residents aged 15 years and above from all the selected households were included in this study. A standardized pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in this study. Out of 1025 respondents interviewed the prevalence of ever and current smokers was 34% and 25.1% respectively.The prevalence of ever smokers and current smokers was significantly higher In males as compared to females (p.<0.001). The mean initiation age for the males current smokers was 10.4 (95% CI = 19.4, 21.5) years with a range from 7 to 66 years. For the females the mean initiation age was 31 (95% Cl =26.8, 35.2) years with a range from 15 to 64 years. The difference between the mean initiation age between male and female smokers was statistically significant (p<0.0001). The overall mean duration of smoking was 23.9 years with a median of 23 years. It ranged from less than 1 year to 66 years. There was no significant difference between the mean duration of smoking between male and females current smokers (p =0.59). There was a significant association between current smoking status and education level (p<0.01 ) and between smoking and peer influence (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in smokers whose parents were smokers as compared to non-smokers whose parents were smokers. In conclusion the prevalence of smoking in Kelantan state in 2004 is lower than the reported prevalence in 1996. However, it is still very high especially in the males.
Key words: Smoking, peer influence, Kelantan