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Differences in sociodemographic, health-related, and psychological factors in users and nonusers of nutritional supplements in fitness club participants in Tehran, Iran

Saeedi P, Mohd Taib MN, Hazizi AS

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2012 Oct;22(5):323-30.
PMID: 22805627

Nutritional supplement (NS) use has increased among the general population, athletes, and fitness club participants and has become a widespread and acceptable behavior. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in sociodemographic, health-related, and psychological factors between NS users and nonusers. A case-control study design was used, whereby participants included 147 NS users (cases) and 147 nonusers (controls) age 18 yr and above who exercised at least 3 d/wk in 24 fitness clubs in Tehran. A self-administered pretested and validated questionnaire was used to collect data. The results showed that on average, NS users were younger (29.8 ± 9.5 yr) than nonusers (35.5 ± 12.2 yr). Logistic-regression analysis showed that NS use was significantly associated with moderate or high physical activity level (PAL), smoking, gender, eating attitude, and age. In conclusion, NS users were more likely to be female, younger, and smokers; to have moderate or high PAL; and to be more prone to eating disorders than nonusers.
Fulltext Physical activity, eating behaviour and body image perception among young adolescents in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Farah Wahida Z, Mohd Nasir MT, Hazizi AS

Malays J Nutr, 2011 Dec;17(3):325-36.
PMID: 22655454 MyJurnal

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine physical activity, eating behaviour, body weight management knowledge, perception of body image and their association with body weight status of adolescents.
Psychological distress as a mediator in the relationships between biopsychosocial factors and disordered eating among Malaysian university students

Gan WY, Mohd Nasir MT, Zalilah MS, Hazizi AS

Appetite, 2012 Dec;59(3):679-87.
PMID: 22885453 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.08.002

The mechanism linking biopsychosocial factors to disordered eating among university students is not well understood especially among Malaysians. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationships between biopsychosocial factors and disordered eating among Malaysian university students. A self-administered questionnaire measured self-esteem, body image, social pressures to be thin, weight-related teasing, psychological distress, and disordered eating in 584 university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males). Body weight and height were measured. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that the partial mediation model provided good fit to the data. Specifically, the relationships between self-esteem and weight-related teasing with disordered eating were mediated by psychological distress. In contrast, only direct relationships between body weight status, body image, and social pressures to be thin with disordered eating were found and were not mediated by psychological distress. Furthermore, multigroup analyses indicated that the model was equivalent for both genders but not for ethnic groups. There was a negative relationship between body weight status and psychological distress for Chinese students, whereas this was not the case among Malay students. Intervention and prevention programs on psychological distress may be beneficial in reducing disordered eating among Malaysian university students.
Direct and indirect effects of sociocultural influences on disordered eating among Malaysian male and female university students. A mediation analysis of psychological distress

Gan WY, Mohd Nasir MT, Zalilah MS, Hazizi AS

Appetite, 2011 Jun;56(3):778-83.
PMID: 21435366 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.03.005

This study aimed to examine the role of psychological distress in the relationships between sociocultural influences (social pressure to be thin and weight teasing) and disordered eating. Data were collected from 584 university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males), aged 18-24 years old (M=20.6, SD=1.4), selected from four universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires which measured social pressure to be thin, weight-related teasing, psychological distress and disordered eating. A good fit structural equation modeling (SEM) model was developed for both sexes. For males, the SEM model revealed that sociocultural influences showed an indirect effect on disordered eating through psychological distress. For females, the model showed an indirect effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating through psychological distress, as well as a direct effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating. In conclusion, psychological distress mediated the relationships between sociocultural influences and disordered eating in both males and females. Our results suggest that disordered eating intervention programs on reducing psychological distress in university students may be beneficial.
Fulltext Differences in eating behaviours, dietary intake and body weight status between male and female Malaysian University students

Gan WY, Mohd NM, Zalilah MS, Hazizi AS

Malays J Nutr, 2011 Aug;17(2):213-28.
PMID: 22303575 MyJurnal

INTRODUCTION: University students are potentially important targets for the promotion of healthy lifestyles as this may reduce the risks of lifestyle-related disorders later in life. This cross-sectional study examined differences in eating behaviours, dietary intake, weight status, and body composition between male and female university students.
METHODOLOGY: A total of 584 students (59.4% females and 40.6% males) aged 20.6 +/- 1.4 years from four Malaysian universities in the Klang Valley participated in this study. Participants completed the Eating Behaviours Questionnaire and two-day 24-hour dietary recall. Body weight, height, waist circumference and percentage of body fat were measured.
RESULTS: About 14.3% of males and 22.4% of females were underweight, while 14.0% of males and 12.3% of females were overweight and obese. A majority of the participants (73.8% males and 74.6% females) skipped at least one meal daily in the past seven days. Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal. Both males and females frequently snacked during morning tea time. Fruits and biscuits were the most frequently consumed snack items. More than half of the participants did not meet the Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for energy, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron (females only), and calcium. Significantly more males than females achieved the RNI levels for energy, protein and iron intakes.
CONCLUSION: This study highlights the presence of unhealthy eating behaviours, inadequate nutrient intake, and a high prevalence of underweight among university students. Energy and nutrient intakes differed between the sexes. Therefore, promoting healthy eating among young adults is crucial to achieve a healthy nutritional status.
Fulltext Factors associated with breakfast skipping among schoolgoing adolescents in Sarawak, Malaysia

Law LS, Mohd Nasir MT, Hazizi AS

Malays J Nutr, 2013;19(3):401-407.
MyJurnal

Introduction: Breakfast skipping is an unhealthy eating behaviour reportedly common among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the differences in body weight status, socio-demographic, behavioural, and psychological characteristics between daily breakfast takers and breakfast skippers.
Methods: Data were collected from form four students of four randomly selected secondary schools in Sibu, Sarawak using a self-administered questionnaire. Body weight and height were measured using standard procedures and BMI-for-age z-scores were determined.
Results: A total of 375 students were recruited (male: 32.0%, female: 68.0%; Chinese: 39.5%, Than: 26.4%, Malay: 17.1% and Melanau: 17.1 %; mean age = 16.45 ± 0.53 years). The prevalence rate of breakfast skippers at 40.3% was higher compared to the national prevalence of 32.7%. About 19.7% of the students were found to be at risk of eating disorders. In addition, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 10.9% and 7.7%, respectively. Significant associations were found between breakfast skipping with sex, lunch skipping, dinner skipping, eating attitudes, and body weight status. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that female students and those who skipped lunch or dinner were more likely to skip breakfast.
Conclusion: Breakfast skipping was quite common in this sample of adolescents in Sarawak. As frequent breakfast skipping has negative health and academic performance implications, increased nutrition education and health awareness campaigns on the importance of breakfast taking among school students should be undertaken.
Fulltext Effects of Synbiotics among Constipated Adults in Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia-A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Lim YJ, Jamaluddin R, Hazizi AS, Chieng JY

Nutrients, 2018 Jun 26;10(7).
PMID: 29949873 DOI: 10.3390/nu10070824

Synbiotics approach complementarily and synergistically toward the balance of gastrointestinal microbiota and improvement in bowel functions. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to examine the effects of a synbiotics supplement among constipated adults. A total of 85 constipated adults, diagnosed by Rome III criteria for functional constipation were randomised to receive either synbiotics (n = 43) or placebo (n = 42) once daily (2.5 g) in the morning for 12 weeks. Eight times of follow-up was conducted every fortnightly with treatment response based on a questionnaire that included a record of evacuation (stool frequency, stool type according to Bristol Stool Form Scale), Patients Assessment on Constipation Symptoms (PAC-SYM), and Patients Assessment on Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL). There were no significant differences in stool evacuation, but defecation frequency and stool type in treatment group were improved tremendously than in placebo group. While the treatment group was reported to have higher reduction in severity of functional constipation symptoms, the differences were not statistically significant. Dietary supplementation of synbiotics in this study suggested that the combination of probiotics and prebiotics improved the functional constipation symptoms and quality of life although not significant. This was due to the high placebo effect which synbiotics failed to demonstrate benefit over the controls.
Fulltext Socio-demographic and psychosocial factors associated with physical activity of working woman in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Siti Affira K, Mohd Nasir MT, Hazizi AS, Kandiah M

Malays J Nutr, 2011 Dec;17(3):315-24.
PMID: 22655453

This study was conducted on 215 working women from four private corporate companies in a suburb in Malaysia to determine the factors related to their physical activity levels.
Fulltext The Prevalence and Symptoms Characteristic of Functional Constipation Using Rome III Diagnostic Criteria among Tertiary Education Students

Lim YJ, Rosita J, Chieng JY, Hazizi AS

PLoS One, 2016;11(12):e0167243.
PMID: 27997551 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167243

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Functional constipation is very common with heterogeneous symptoms that have substantial impact on patient quality of life as well as medical resources which are rarely reported as life-threatening. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and symptoms characteristic of functional constipation (FC) by using Rome III diagnostic criteria among tertiary education students with an intention to introduce treatment in the future.
METHODS: Demographic, socio-economics characteristics and symptoms of FC using the Rome III criteria were sought using a questionnaire administered to Malaysian students in a tertiary education setting. Other data obtained were the general health status, lifestyle factors and anthropometric measurements. Using a simple random sampling method, a total of 1662 students were recruited in the study with a response rate of 95.0%. Sampled data are presented as frequency and percentage and stratified accordingly into categories for Chi-square analysis.
RESULTS: The prevalence of functional constipation among the students was 16.2%, with a significantly higher prevalence among women (17.4%) than men (12.5%). Hard or lumpy stool, incomplete evacuation, anorectal obstruction and straining were reported as the commonest symptoms experienced. Type 3 was the most frequent stool consistency experienced among the constipated individuals (35.2%). Only 4.4% of individuals reported having less than three defecations per week. Using univariable analysis, FC was significantly associated with sex (odds ratio: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.06-2.06) and age group (odds ratio: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01-1.79) with P value < 0.05 significance level. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only sex was found significantly associated with FC (adjusted odds ratio: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.08-2.17, P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the prevalence rate, constipation is a common problem among tertiary education students (16.2%), with significantly more prevalence among the female respondents. Early detection of symptoms and further intervention studies focusing on treatment recommendation in improving the symptoms are essential.
Fulltext Gender differences in the attitude and strategy towards weight control among government employees in Penang, Malaysia

Aina Mardiah B, Hazizi A, Nasir MM, Zaitun Y, Jan JH

Iran J Public Health, 2012;41(1):28-36.
PMID: 23113119

Background: This was a cross-sectional study on the gender differences in weight-control behavior. The strategies used, weight status, weight satisfaction, and proportion of individuals attempting to lose weight among 233 government employees (104 men and 129 women) working in the Federal Government Building in Penang, Malaysia, were assessed.
Methods: Anthropometric indicators such as body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage were measured to determine the subjects’ body weight status. A questionnaire covering the following items was used to assess weight-control behavior: social support, self-monitoring, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, planning, preparation/buying, portion control, social interactions, and cognitive behavioral strategies.
Results: About 50% of the subjects were classified as overweight. Based on percent body fat percentage, 70% of them were classified as having unhealthy levels of body fat. Women were found to be more dissatisfied with their current weight, and were more likely to attempt weight reduction compared to men. Women reported higher levels of social support for dieting and had better expectations for diet and exercise (P < 0.05). They also reported higher use of weight control strategies. For self-monitoring, although no gender-dependent differences (P > 0.05) were observed, women reported more frequent self-monitoring of diet, whereas men reported more frequent self-monitoring of exercise.
Conclusion: Health care professionals and researchers should be aware of the different strategies used by men and women in order to plan and/or implement community-wide weight management programmes.
Keywords: Weight Control, Body Weight Status, Diet, Exercise, Gender Differences
Nutritional supplement use among fitness club participants in Tehran, Iran

Saeedi P, Mohd Nasir MT, Hazizi AS, Vafa MR, Rahimi Foroushani A

Appetite, 2013 Jan;60(1):20-26.
PMID: 23017466 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.09.011

The aim of this study was to assess nutritional supplement use among fitness club participants in Tehran, Iran. A cross sectional study was conducted in 24 fitness clubs throughout the city of Tehran, Iran. A total of 1625 fitness club participants were recruited to participate in this study. They were asked to complete a self-administered pre-tested questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were performed to determine the characteristics of participants, reasons for supplement use, sources of information and also the influential advisors regarding nutritional supplement use. A high prevalence rate of nutritional supplement use (66.7%) was reported. Overall, multivitamin-mineral (43.8%) and iron tablets (30.5%) were the common nutritional supplements used and only a small number of participants used illegal substances (0.5%). Younger participants were more likely to use ergogenic aids, whereas, older participants were more likely to use vitamin D. Males were more likely than females to use creatine and amino acids, whereas, iron tablets and mint water were more common among females. Also, males were more likely to use nutritional supplements for increasing energy, whereas, females were more likely to use nutritional supplements for nutritional deficiencies. In conclusion, a high prevalence rate of nutritional supplement use was seen among participants.
Child feeding practices, food habits, anthropometric indicators and cognitive performance among preschoolers in Peninsular Malaysia

Mohd Nasir MT, Norimah AK, Hazizi AS, Nurliyana AR, Loh SH, Suraya I

Appetite, 2012 Apr;58(2):525-30.
PMID: 22265752 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.01.007

This study aimed to determine the relationship between child feeding practices, food habits, and anthropometric indicators with cognitive performance of preschoolers aged 4-6 years in Peninsular Malaysia (n=1933). Parents were interviewed on socio-demographic background, nutrition knowledge, child feeding practices and food habits. Height and weight of the preschoolers were measured; BMI-for-age, weight-for-age and height-for-age were determined. Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. The mean monthly household income was RM3610 and 59.6% of parents attained secondary education. Thirty-three percent of parents had good knowledge on nutrition, 39% satisfactory and 28% poor. For child feeding practices, perceived responsibility had the highest mean score (M=3.99, SD=0.72), while perceived child weight had the lowest (M=2.94, SD=0.38). The prevalence of possible risk of overweight, being overweight, and obesity were 3.9%, 7.9% and 8.1%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of underweight and stunting were 8.0% and 8.4%, respectively. Breakfast was the second most frequently skipped meal (16.8%) after dinner (18.1%). The mean cognitive score was 103.5 (SD=14.4). Height-for-age and consumption of dinner were found to contribute significantly towards cognitive performance after controlling for socio-demographic background and parent's nutrition knowledge.
Fulltext Accelerometer-determined physical activity level among government employees in Penang, Malaysia

Hazizi AS, Aina MB, Mohd NM, Zaitun Y, Hamid JJ, Tabata I

Malays J Nutr, 2012 Apr;18(1):57-66.
PMID: 23713230 MyJurnal

A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate accelerometer-determined physical activity level of 233 Malay government employees (104 men, 129 women) working in the Federal Government Building Penang, Malaysia.

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