INTRODUCTION: One of the most important and debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus is foot
problem such as ulcers, infections and amputations. However, these complications are preventable by simple
intervention such as regular foot care practice. This study aims to assess the foot care practice and its
associated factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients attending primary health clinics in Kuantan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at four primary health clinics in
Kuantan involving 450 study participants who were selected by using universal sampling method. Level of
awareness and practice toward diabetic foot care was assessed using validated self-administered
questionnaire. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with poor foot care
practice among the respondents. RESULTS: About 59.6% of respondents had poor foot care practice and
50.9% had poor awareness level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that, increasing age
(OR 0.97, 95% CI: 0.955-0.993) and good awareness towards foot problem (OR 0.43, 95%CI: 0.289-0.643)
were less likely to have poor foot care practice. However, Malay ethnicity (OR 1.81, 95% CI: 1.002-3.271) and
obesity (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.225-2.976) were associated with poor foot care practice after controlling other
variables. CONCLUSION: Majority of the respondents had poor foot care practice and poor awareness.
Respondents who are older and have better awareness are less likely to have poor foot care practice.
Diabetic patients who are Malays and/or obese are predicted to have poor diabetic foot practice and hence
must be prioritized for a sustainable patient education and compliance towards foot care practice at primary
care level.
Smartphones has now become a common and almost essential tool in our daily living activities. Students are among those who uses smartphones regularly which could lead to addiction if overused. This study aims to measure the prevalence of smartphone addiction and its relationship with psychological health among clinical year medical students in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan. Materials and method: A total of 203 Medical students in their clinical years were recruited via quota sampling method. The students filled in a four part online-based questionnaire consisted of questions on sociodemographic characteristics, smartphone usage information, Smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV) and WHOQOL-BREF. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Result: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among clinical year Medical students in IIUM was 51%. Bivariate analysis showed that majority of students chose social networking as their primary purpose of smartphone usage and this is significantly associated with smartphone addiction (p-value:0.037). Following multiple logistic regression analysis, students who had chosen games as their primary purpose of smartphone usage are 88% less likely to be related with smartphone addiction (p-value: 0.009, 95% CI: 0.025-0.595) compared to those who used it for academic performance tasks. Students who are not addicted to smartphones reported significantly better psychological quality of life compared to those who are addicted (p-value