Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess and compare the knowledge of diabetes mellitus possessed by patients with diabetes and healthy adult volunteers in Penang, Malaysia.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 February 2006 to 31 March 2006. We randomly selected 120 patients with diabetes mellitus from a diabetic clinic at the General Hospital Penang, Malaysia and 120 healthy adults at a shopping complex in Penang. Each participant was interviewed face-to-face by a pharmacist using a validated questionnaire, and they were required to answer a total of 30 questions concerning knowledge about diabetes mellitus using Yes, No or Unsure as the only response.
Results: The results showed that patients with diabetes mellitus were significantly more knowledgeable than the healthy volunteers about risk factors, symptoms, chronic complications, treatment and self-management, and monitoring parameters. Educational level was the best predictive factor for diabetes mellitus and public awareness.
Conclusion: Knowledge about diabetes mellitus should be improved among the general population.
Practice implications: This study has major implications for the design of an educational programme for diabetics and a health promotion programme as a primary prevention measure for the healthy population in general, and especially for those at high risk. The results could be useful in the design of future studies for evaluating patients' and the general public's knowledge about diabetes mellitus.
Coastlines are constantly threatened by erosion. Effective coastal defense structures with the least environmental impacts are increasingly required. Submerged and emerged breakwaters have been implemented globally, while positively or negatively creating impacts on the environment. One of the most significant concerns in applying breakwaters is how to minimize their undesirable consequences on the environment. Thus, a thorough understanding of how submerged and emerged breakwaters affect the surrounding environment must be achieved. This article critically reviews and summarizes their environmental impacts on beach morphology, hydrodynamics, ecology, tourism, and recreation, as well as other notable impacts. This is a review article that may help coastal practitioners to manage coastal erosion with breakwaters more sustainably.
Beach nourishment is not a permanent solution against beach erosion, as periodic renourishment will be needed to maintain its effectiveness. Numerous publications show that it may potentially affect the entire marine ecosystem, yet it is still being implemented nowadays, and its use is predicted to expand. The environmental impacts of beach nourishment are often underestimated or neglected. Thus, a thorough understanding of how beach nourishment affects the environment is needed to answer the question "Is beach nourishment a less impacting strategy for opposing coastal erosion?". This article compiles key findings from published studies, highlighting how nourishment activities disturb and alter the surrounding environment at both borrow and nourished sites. Present findings highlight the need for coastal practitioners and researchers to prudentially consider the sustainability of beach nourishment as a coastal protection measure, in light of its irreversible deleterious impacts on the environment.
Coastal structures, especially revetments, have been widely implemented to protect properties and infrastructures from erosive waves during storms. While being incompatible with nature-based solutions, revetments have still been constructed due to their effectiveness in solving coastal erosion. One of the most crucial concerns that should be considered as part of a revetment implementation is how to diminish and manage its possible impacts on the environment. Thus, a thorough understanding of how the revetments affect the surrounding environment must be achieved. This article critically reviews and summarizes their economic considerations, and environmental impacts on beach morphology, hydrodynamics, ecology, aesthetics, beach accessibility, beach recreation, and other notable aspects. Coastal practitioners and researchers, who are involved with the revetments, may increase their environmental awareness before implementing them. The revetments can be an excellent option to protect the eroding shoreline, if their possible environmental consequences are well-understood and properly managed.
Climate change alters the climate condition and ocean environment, leading to accelerated coastal erosion and a shift in the coastline shape. From previous studies, Southeast Asia's coastal region is suffering from severe coastal erosion. It is most sensitive and vulnerable to climate change, has broad and densely populated coastlines, and is under ecological pressure. Efforts to systematically review these studies are still insufficient despite many studies on the climate change linked to coastal erosion, the correlation between coastal erosion and coastal communities, and the adaptative measures to address these issues and their effectiveness in Southeast Asia. Therefore, by analyzing the existing literature, the purpose of this review was to bridge the knowledge gap and identify the link between climate change and coastal erosion in Southeast Asia in terms of sea-level rise, storm surge, and monsoon patterns. The RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) guided the study protocol, including articles from the Scopus and Dimension databases. There were five main themes considered: 1) climate change impact, 2) contributing factors to coastal erosion, 3) coastal erosion impact on coastal communities, 4) adaptation measure and 5) effectiveness of adaptation measure using thematical analysis. Subsequently, nine sub-themes were produced from the themes. Generally, in Southeast Asia, coastal erosion was reflected by the rising sea level. Throughout reviewing past literature, an interesting result was explored. Storm surges also had the potential to affect coastal erosion due to alterations of the atmospheric system and seasonal monsoon as the result of climate change. Meanwhile, an assessment of current erosion control strategies in relation to the relative hydrodynamic trend was required to avoid the failure of defence structures and the resulting danger to coastal communities. Systematically reviewing the existing literature was critical, hence it could significantly contribute to the body of knowledge. It provides valuable information for interested parties, such as authorities, the public, researchers, and environmentalists, while comprehending existing adaptation practices. This kind of review could strategize adaptation and natural resource management in line with coastal communities' needs, abilities, and capabilities in response to environmental and other change forms.