Association of suicidal ideation with demographic, lifestyle and health factors in Malaysians

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of suicidal ideation with demographic, lifestyle, and health factors, using data from National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 (NHMS 2011) of Malaysia.
METHODS: The NHMS 2011 included 10,141 respondents. Independent variables of suicidal ideation were income, age, household size, sex, ethnicity, education, marital status, smoking, physical activity, and self-rated health. The risk factors of suicidal ideation were determined using logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS: In the pooled sample, suicidal ideation was associated with age, sex, ethnicity, and self-rated health, but not associated with income, household size, education, physical activity, or smoking.
CONCLUSION: The likelihood of having suicidal ideation is positively associated with young adults, women, Indians, and those with poor self-rated health.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2011)