Displaying all 12 publications

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  1. Cameron NA, Molsberry R, Pierce JB, Perak AM, Grobman WA, Allen NB, et al.
    J Am Coll Cardiol, 2020 Dec 01;76(22):2611-2619.
    PMID: 33183896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.09.601
    BACKGROUND: Rates of maternal mortality are increasing in the United States with significant rural-urban disparities. Pre-pregnancy hypertension is a well-established risk factor for adverse maternal and offspring outcomes.

    OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe trends in maternal pre-pregnancy hypertension among women in rural and urban areas in 2007 to 2018 in order to inform community-engaged prevention and policy strategies.

    METHODS: We performed a nationwide, serial cross-sectional study using maternal data from all live births in women age 15 to 44 years between 2007 and 2018 (CDC Natality Database). Rates of pre-pregnancy hypertension were calculated per 1,000 live births overall and by urbanization status. Subgroup analysis in standard 5-year age categories was performed. We quantified average annual percentage change using Joinpoint Regression and rate ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) to compare yearly rates between rural and urban areas.

    RESULTS: Among 47,949,381 live births to women between 2007 and 2018, rates of pre-pregnancy hypertension per 1,000 live births increased among both rural (13.7 to 23.7) and urban women (10.5 to 20.0). Two significant inflection points were identified in 2010 and 2016, with highest annual percentage changes between 2016 and 2018 in rural and urban areas. Although absolute rates were lower in younger compared with older women in both rural and urban areas, all age groups experienced similar increases. The rate ratios of pre-pregnancy hypertension in rural compared with urban women ranged from 1.18 (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.35) for ages 15 to 19 years to 1.51 (95% CI: 1.39 to 1.64) for ages 40 to 44 years in 2018.

    CONCLUSIONS: Maternal burden of pre-pregnancy hypertension has nearly doubled in the past decade and the rural-urban gap has persisted.

    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data*
  2. Esa R, Ong AL, Humphris G, Freeman R
    BMC Oral Health, 2014;14:19.
    PMID: 24621226 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-14-19
    To investigate the role of geography (place of residence) as a moderator in the relationship between dental caries disease and treatment experience and dental fear in 16-year-olds living in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  3. Al-Mekhlafi HM, Mahdy MA, 'Azlin MY, Fatmah MS, Norhayati M
    Ann Trop Med Parasitol, 2011 Mar;105(2):135-43.
    PMID: 21396250 DOI: 10.1179/136485911X12899838683368
    Cryptosporidium is a coccidian parasite that is prevalent worldwide, some species of which cause morbidity in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The prevalence and predictors of Cryptosporidium infection, and its effect on nutritional status, have recently been explored among 276 children (141 boys and 135 girls, aged 2-15 years) in aboriginal (Orang Asli) villages in the Malaysian state of Selangor. Faecal smears were examined by the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique while socio-economic data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric measurements. Cryptosporidium infection, which was detected in 7.2% of the aboriginal children, was found to be significantly associated with low birthweight (≤2.5 kg), being part of a large household (with more than seven members) and prolonged breast feeding (>2 years). The output of a binary logistic regression confirmed that large household size was a significant predictor of Cryptosporidium infection (giving an odds ratio of 2.15, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.25-5.02). Cryptosporidium infection is clearly a public-health problem among the aboriginal children of Selangor, with person-to-person the most likely mode of transmission.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  4. Chin CY, Pengal S
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2009 Oct;21(4):410-20.
    PMID: 19661103 DOI: 10.1177/1010539509343973
    It has been argued that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not very prevalent in developing countries, particularly in a rural community. This study examined the prevalence of CVD risk of a semirural community in Malaysia through an epidemiological survey.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data*
  5. Tay ST, Ho TM, Rohani MY, Devi S
    Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 2000 9 7;94(3):280-4.
    PMID: 10974999
    A serosurvey was conducted in 1995-97 among 1596 febrile patients from 8 health centres in Malaysia for antibodies against Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT), Rickettsia typhi (RT) and TT118 spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) by using an indirect immunoperoxidase assay. A total of 51.4% patients had antibody against at least 1 of those rickettsiae. Antibody to SFGR was most prevalent (42.5%), followed by RT (28.1%) and OT (24.9%). The seroprevalences of antibodies to SFGR, RT or OT alone were 12.4, 3.6 and 4.3%, respectively. Antibodies against more than 1 species of rickettsiae were presence in 31.1% of the patients, suggesting the possibility of co-infection, previous exposures or serological cross-reactivities. Seroprevalence of the various rickettsiae varied according to locality, with SFGR antibodies being the most prevalent in most areas. There was no significant association of prevalence of rickettsial antibody with gender. The seroprevalence of OT, SFGR and RT increased with patient age but an increase of antibody titre with age was not significant. Those working in the agricultural sectors had significantly higher seroprevalence of OT, SFGR and RT than those not related with agricultural activities. Scrub typhus remains a public health problem with an estimated annual attack rate of 18.5%. Tick typhus and murine typhus as shown in this serosurvey appear much more widespread than scrub typhus in this country.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  6. Hargreaves JA, Matejka JM, Cleaton-Jones PE, Williams S
    ASDC J Dent Child, 1995 Sep-Oct;62(5):353-5.
    PMID: 8550926
    Little new evidence on the prevalence of injury to the anterior teeth of children has been reported in the past five years and, in South Africa, trauma to the teeth of children in different ethnic groups has not been compared respectively. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of dental trauma using well-defined criteria and to sample a specific age-group. Five regions were chosen and 1035 children in the eleven-year age-group were examined. No statistical significance was found between the ethnic groups related to the amount of injury sustained. For all groups, boys received more injuries than girls. The most common injury was fracture of the enamel of the maxillary central incisor. With 15 percent of the children receiving some level of trauma by age eleven years, this is one of the main dental treatment needs for South African children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  7. Hairi F, Ong CH, Suhaimi A, Tsung TW, bin Anis Ahmad MA, Sundaraj C, et al.
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2003;15(1):37-43.
    PMID: 14620496
    A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning dengue and its vector Aedes mosquito among selected rural communities in the Kuala Kangsar district from 16-25th June, 2002. It was found that the knowledge of the community was good. Out of the 200 respondents, 82.0% cited that their main source of information on dengue was from television/radio. The respondents' attitude was found to be good and most of them were supportive of Aedes control measures. There is a significant association found between knowledge of dengue and attitude towards Aedes control (p = 0.047). It was also found that good knowledge does not necessarily lead to good practice. This is most likely due to certain practices like water storage for domestic use, which is deeply ingrained in the community. Mass media is an important means of conveying health messages to the public even among the rural population, thus research and development of educational strategies designed to improve behaviour and practice of effective control measures among the villagers are recommended.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data*
  8. Selvarajah S, Haniff J, Kaur G, Hiong TG, Cheong KC, Lim CM, et al.
    Eur J Prev Cardiol, 2013 Apr;20(2):368-75.
    PMID: 22345688 DOI: 10.1177/2047487312437327
    BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and its clustering. The findings are to help shape the Malaysian future healthcare planning for cardiovascular disease prevention and management.
    METHODS: Data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey was used. The survey was conducted via a face-to-face interview using a standardised questionnaire. A total of 37,906 eligible participants aged 18 years and older was identified, of whom 34,505 (91%) participated. Focus was on hypertension, hyperglycaemia (diabetes and impaired fasting glucose), hypercholesterolaemia and central obesity.
    RESULTS: Overall, 63% (95% confidence limits 62, 65%) of the participants had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, 33% (32, 35%) had two or more and 14% (12, 15%) had three risk factors or more. The prevalence of hypertension, hyperglycaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and central obesity were 38%, 15%, 24% and 37%, respectively. Women were more likely to have a higher number of cardiovascular risk factors for most age groups; adjusted odds ratios ranging from 1.1 (0.91, 1.32) to 1.26 (1.12, 1.43) for the presence of one risk factor and 1.07 (0.91, 1.32) to 2.00 (1.78, 2.25) for two or more risk factors.
    CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular risk-factor clustering provides a clear impression of the true burden of cardiovascular disease risk in the population. Women displayed higher prevalence and a younger age shift in clustering was seen. These findings signal the presence of a cardiovascular epidemic in an upcoming middle-income country and provide evidence that drastic measures have to be taken to safeguard the health of the nation.
    Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2006)
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  9. Foo LH, Khor GL, Tee ES, Dhanaraj P
    Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2004 Sep;55(6):517-25.
    PMID: 15762316
    Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide. The prevalence of anaemia in the developing countries is three to four times higher than that in the developed countries. The iron status was assessed in 199 apparently healthy male and female adolescents aged 12-19 years living in a fishing community in Sabah, Malaysia. Data on socio-economic characteristics, lifestyles, anthropometry measurements, iron status, and dietary intake were gathered. Dietary intake of energy, iron, and most nutrients (with the exception of protein and vitamin C) were below the recommended levels for Malaysian adolescents. Three-quarters of the iron was derived from plant foods. The mean haemoglobin value for the male was 13.9 +/- 1.3 g/dl with 9.5% having less than 12 g/dl, while the respective figures for the female were 12.4 +/- 1.6 g/dl and 28.6%. The mean serum ferritin concentrations for male and female adolescents were 21.5 and 15.4 microg/l, respectively; with 25.7% of the males and 49.5% of the females having deficient levels of ferritin. Dietary intake of total energy and iron, and gender were found to be independent determinants of serum ferritin and haemoglobin levels, accounting for over 40% of the variations for each of these iron indicators. In males, but not in females, the intake of dietary protein and iron, and physical activity were also found to be significant determinants of serum ferritin. The age of subjects and household size were significant determinants of haemoglobin levels for male subjects, but not for female subjects. The findings indicate the importance of adequate intake of energy and dietary iron for improving the iron status of adolescents.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data*
  10. Esa R, Razak IA, Allister JH
    Community Dent Health, 2001 Mar;18(1):31-6.
    PMID: 11421403
    Data on malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in Malaysia are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in a sample of 12-13-year-old schoolchildren using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), and to assess the relationship between malocclusion and socio-demographic variables, perceptions of need for orthodontic treatment, aesthetic perception and social functioning.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  11. Suzana S, Boon PC, Chan PP, Normah CD
    Malays J Nutr, 2013 Apr;19(1):65-75.
    PMID: 24800385 MyJurnal
    INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a common phenomenon among the elderly and quite often related to psychosocial problems. The objective of this study was to determine malnutrition risk and its association with appetite, functional and psychosocial status among elderly Malays in an agricultural settlement, i.e. FELDA Sungai Tengi, Selangor.
    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 subjects (men = 36.2%), with a mean age of 65.0 +/- 3.9 years, who were interviewed to obtain information on malnutrition risk and appetite using Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form and Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire, respectively. Functional status was determined using Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS) and handgrip strength. Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale and De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale were used to identify cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms and loneliness status of subjects respectively. A total of 42.5% of subjects were at risk of malnutrition and 61.2% had poor appetite. The mean scores of IADL and EMS were lower in subjects at risk of malnutrition, compared to those who were not at high risk (p < 0.05 for both parameters). Multiple linear regression showed that 19.8% of malnutrition risk was predicted by poor appetite, decreased functional status (IADL) and depression.
    CONCLUSION: Malnutrition risk was prevalent and associated with poor appetite, functional status and psychosocial problems among the elderly subjects. The psychosocial aspect should also be incorporated in nutrition intervention programmes in order to improve mental well-being and functional independancy.
    Study site; FELDA Sungai Tengi, Selangor, Malaysia
    Device, Questionnaire & Scale: Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form; Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL); Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS); handgrip strength. Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15); De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
  12. Jamal R, Syed Zakaria SZ, Kamaruddin MA, Abd Jalal N, Ismail N, Mohd Kamil N, et al.
    Int J Epidemiol, 2015 Apr;44(2):423-31.
    PMID: 24729425 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyu089
    The Malaysian Cohort study was initiated in 2005 by the Malaysian government. The top-down approach to this population-based cohort study ensured the allocation of sufficient funding for the project which aimed to recruit 100,000 individuals aged 35-70 years. Participants were recruited from rural and urban areas as well as from various socioeconomic groups. The main objectives of the study were to identify risk factors, to study gene-environment interaction and to discover biomarkers for the early detection of cancers and other diseases. At recruitment, a questionnaire-based interview was conducted, biophysical measurements were performed and biospecimens were collected, processed and stored. Baseline investigations included fasting blood sugar, fasting lipid profile, renal profile and full blood count. From April 2006 to the end of September 2012 we recruited a total of 106,527 participants. The baseline prevalence data showed 16.6% participants with diabetes, 46.5% with hypertension, 44.9% with hypercholesterolaemia and 17.7% with obesity. The follow-up phase commenced in June 2013. This is the most comprehensive and biggest cohort study in Malaysia, and has become a valuable resource for epidemiological and biological research. For information on collaboration and also data access, investigators can contact the project leader at (rahmanj@ppukm.ukm.edu.my).
    Study name: The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) project
    Matched MeSH terms: Rural Health/statistics & numerical data
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