Introduction: The increasing prevalence of depression has been a major public health concern. Being a marginalized population put the inmates at risk of depression. The main objective of this study was to identify the determinants of depression among the inmates according to the biopsychosocial model. Methods: A cross sectional study involv- ing 460 male inmates was conducted at a medium security prison in Seremban. Only Malaysian adult prisoners who have been convicted and had spent a minimum of three months in the prison were eligible for the study. They were selected using the probability proportional to size using stratified random sampling. Data was collected using validated and pre-tested questionnaire by face-to-face interviews, with depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22 with a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed prevalence of depression were 40.70% (95% CI: 36.21-45.19) with its development being predicted by presence of communicable disease (AOR=2.145, 95% CI: 1.123-4.095), history of childhood abuse (AOR=1.762, 95% CI: 1.045-2.972), sentences of more than 5 years (AOR=3.801, 95% CI: 1.529-9.450), being non-Muslims (AOR=2.261, 95% CI: 1.461-3.497) and perceived stress (AOR=4.007, 95% CI= 2.610-6.151). Conclusions: This study revealed an alarmingly high preva- lence of depression among the male inmates, with stress being the strongest risk factor. Reintegration of the prisoners into the community should be considered as part of the rehabilitation program to ensure continuation of psychiatric care and reduce relapsing.
Introduction: Overweight and obesity among adults, especially young adults have been increasing for the past 20 years and is an emerging public health concern all over the world, including Malaysia. This study aims to explore the determinants of overweight and obesity among undergraduate students residing in Universiti Putra Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using random sampling was conducted in three residential colleges. Independent variables include socio-demographic factors, knowledge on physical activity and dietary intake, lifestyle (physical activity, dietary intake, sleep duration and quality and smoking status) and stress. Data was collected using a vali-dated and reliable self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurement (weight and height were mea-sured to determine body mass index). IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 was used for data analysis. Multiple logistic regression was employed to find the determinants of overweight and obesity among the respondents. Significant level was set at less than 0.05. Results: A total of 494 respondents participated with 98.8% response rate. Overweight and obesity prevalence among the respondents was 38.1% with 22.9% and 15.9% of the respondents were overweight and obese respectively. The significant associated factors were age group of 24 years and above (AOR=2.671, p=0.04), male (AOR=1.818, p=0.04), Malay ethnicity (AOR=5.34, p=0.008) and Indian ethnicity (AOR=7.155, p = 0.018). Conclusion: Overweight and obesity prevalence among undergraduate students were more than one third. Programmes and policies should be directed to these high-risk groups as identified in this study.
Introduction: Poor hygiene practice is an important factor that lead to morbidity and mortality among young chil- dren which are common among the indigenous population due to the lack of access to health services and their unique beliefs and practices. This study aimed to identify the socio-demographic determinants of hygiene practices among the indigenous (known as Orang Asli in Malaysia) primary caregivers of children under the age of three in Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 166 primary caregivers of Orang Asli children of below three years old in Kuala Langat District. Data was collected using a validated and pre-tested questionnaire via face-to-face interviews with individual respondents. The questionnaire consisted of two main sections: sociodemo- graphics and hygiene practice. Results: A majority of the Orang Asli primary caregivers had good hygiene practices (78.9%). The number of children under five years old living at home was significantly associated with hygiene prac- tice and it was the only significant determinant or predictor of good hygiene practice among the Orang Asli primary caregivers. Conclusion: The number of children under five years old living at home is an important factor to ensure good hygiene practices among the primary caregivers of Orang Asli children. This factor need to be taken into con- sideration in monitoring children health status by the health staff by emphasizing the importance of hygiene practice in the prevention of infectious diseases and malnutrition among Orang Asli children.
Introduction: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the Community Medicine Posting to instilling and culti- vating teamwork, leadership and professionalism among the medical students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. Methods: Self-administered questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, professionalism, teamwork and lead- ership sections was distributed to the year four medical students before and after the Community Medicine Posting. The posting lasted for 6 weeks and served as an intervention for the purpose of this study. Results: A total of 107 of medical students were involved with mean age of 22.64 ± 0.63 years old. The mean score for professionalism and leadership were significantly (p
Introduction: Mental problems have become increasingly important public health issue globally. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students in a public university in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 447 medical students were sampled by stratified proportion- ate to size sampling according to year of study. Validated self-administered questionnaire was used consisted of 5 sections namely, socio-demographic factors, social support received from family members and friends, presence of co-morbidity, previous history of resolved mental problem and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale DASS- 21. Data was analysed by using the statistical computer software ‘Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS)’ version 22 involving three levels of analysis (descriptive, chi square and multiple logistic regression). Results: Only 31.1% of the respon- dents were found to be depressed with mainly within the moderately depressed category, 53.9% had anxiety and 26% were having stress. Perceived social support received from family members was a significant predicting factor for depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusion: High proportion of depression, anxiety and level of stress among medical students were found. The stressful medical program is putting medical students at risk of mental problems. Parents and family members should be encouraged to be more involved in any related programs to promote better mental health and well-being of medical students.
Introduction: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common disabling condition among older adults with the major- ity, remain undertreated. This study aimed to determine the uptake of non-pharmacological treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain among older adults and the associated factors. Methods: A stratified sampling proportionate to size with individual clinics as the strata were used to recruit 276 respondents from six public health clinics in Petaling district, one of the most aged districts in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Based on the proportion calculat- ed, eligible older adults were selected by systematic random sampling from the registration list. Data was collected using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire through a face-to-face interview with respondents. The questionnaire comprised of seven sections, namely, socio-demographic, comorbidity, depression, pain severity, treatment options, attitude towards chronic pain and chronic musculoskeletal pain. Inferential analysis was conducted using Chi- Square (X2) and Fisher’s Exact Tests. The P value of < 0.05 regarded as statistically significant. Results: A total of 242 (87.7%) of the respondents had chronic musculoskeletal pain, in which 235 (85.1%) were treated with non-pharma- cological treatments. The commonly used non-pharmacological treatments were exercise (67.8%), biological-based therapies (40.9%) and massage (33.7%). The uptake of non-pharmacological treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain among older adults was significantly associated with the presence of diabetes. Conclusion: The findings re- vealed the remarkably high uptake of non-pharmacological treatment among older adults who experienced chronic musculoskeletal pain which was significantly associated with diabetes and the presence of other diseases like high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, back pain and rheumatic arthritis.
Prisoner tend to be marginalized and deprived that it burdens them with psychological trauma, predominantly depression. This review will identify the determinants of depression among adult inmates. Literatures published from 2012 to March 2017 were searched from various databases. Inclusion criteria were English full text, adults with a diagnosis of depression while exclusion criteria were diagnostic instruments, clinical or drug trials. The review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement reporting. A total of 168 studies were identified although only 14 studies were eligible for final review. Factors associated with inmates’ depression range from the potentially modifiable to non-modifiable. Recognized modifiable factors were psychological, family support, and environment while non-modifiable were biological, demographic, individual, and social. Determinants identified should be addressed in formulation of better targeting therapy, in terms of both prevention and treatment of depression among inmates.
Introduction: Adolescence being a transition phase from a child to an adult, commonly associated with high-risk sexual behaviours, which put them at risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), HIV and unwanted pregnancy. All these risks can be prevented by having adequate knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Hence, this study aimed to determine the sociodemographic determinants of good SRH knowledge among secondary school children in Kuala Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 687 sec- ondary school children in Kuala Kuantan, Kuantan, Pahang, using self-administered questionnaire. A multistage cluster sampling was employed to recruit the respondents. Three levels of analysis were conducted to describe the characteristics of the respondents and determining the determinants of good SRH knowledge. Data was analysed using Statistical Package of IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24 and the p value was set to be less than 0.05. Results: The proportion with good SRH knowledge was 58.4%. Upper secondary school age group (AOR 7.142, 95% CI: 4.830, 10.560) and smokers (AOR 2.597, 95% CI: 1.348, 5.004) were found to be significant determinants of good SRH knowledge. Conclusions: The percentage of respondents with good SRH knowledge was just slightly above average. As expected, older school children has the strongest likelihood of having good SRH knowledge. Whether the good SRH knowledge is contributed by the existing SRH curriculum is unclear and requires further exploration. In view of the alarming SRH issues involving younger school children, strategic plan are needed to instil the knowledge at earlier age.
Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during their pregnancy have a greater risk of developing overt diabetes mellitus and dysglycemia (prediabetes, impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose) later in future, compared to mothers with normal pregnancy. Postpartum screening is crucial for early identification of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in women with GDM. Nevertheless, despite various strategies, its rate remains low. A systematic review using databases of PubMed/Medline, Science Direct and CINAHL from 2008 to 2018, was conducted to iden- tify the factors influencing the attendance of postpartum diabetes screening. Open access English articles, focusing on observational studies were reviewed. Primary screening of titles and abstracts of 91 articles were done, secondary screening of 31 articles resulted in 6 articles, included in this manuscript. Various factors identified to be associated with the attendance to postpartum diabetes screening, which are age, education, ethnicity, some obstetric factors like multiparty, and history of insulin usage previously. Many women fail to be screened for diabetes during the postpar- tum period, and this delays T2DM diagnosis, which in turn gives rise to various complications. Further research that considers these factors is necessary for developing interventions to improve postpartum T2DM screening for mothers with GDM during their pregnancy.
Introduction: Malaysia is known for its shy and prudent community that indirectly causing the stigma and taboos related to later life sexuality. This study aimed to explore the sexual desire and satisfaction in later life among the Malay ethnic elderly in Malaysia who were living in the urban area, where discussions about sexual issues are per- ceived less sensitive and stigmatized. Methods: A total of 234 eligible elderly were approached but only 160 older people completed the questionnaire, sampled using multistage cluster sampling method. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using questionnaires consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, cognitive function, perceived health status, presence of chronic illnesses, smoking history, disability, perceived sexual problems, sexual desire and satisfaction. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine the associated factors for sexual desire and satisfaction, respectively. All tests significant level was set at 0.05. Results: Majority of the respondents were having sexual desire (53.8%) and not satisfied with their sexual life (51.3%), with elderly women (55.7%) experienced more sexual problems compared to men. The results showed male, being married, good perceived health and absence of arthritis were the significant contributing factors of better sexual desire. Having good health perception, being mar- ried and absence of sexual problems were significantly predicting better sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: The study emphasized the multifactorial aspects contributed towards the sexual dissatisfaction among the respondents despite having desire for sexual activity. Focus should be given to elderly women who tend to have multiple chronic diseases and more likely a widow due to their longer life expectancy.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend that all pregnancies with medical clearance should engage in moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) at least 150 minutes per week. However, most of them are physically inactive. Thus, this article aims to identify predictors of physical inactivity among antenatal women. Four databases were used to search relevant articles using PICO strategy systematically. The screening began with examining titles, abstracts, and keywords, followed by scrutinizing and assessing full articles. Finally, a total of five studies were included for the data extraction, and the predictors are sociodemographic (trimesters, parity, marital status, and pre-pregnancy PA status), socioeconomic (household income), lifestyle (smoking and eating unhealthy diet) and health-related factors (multiple pregnancies, received fertility treatment, being unwell, musculoskeletal pain, symptom of early pregnancy and uterine contraction). All these predictors provide crucial information for the success of future physical activity intervention.
In July 2010 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Niigata University (NU) signed a memorandum of agreement to continue collaboration in joint planning and implementation of education, research and practice services in the field of medicine.This collaboration is also a good opportunity for Doctor of Public Health (DRPH) postgraduate candidates to gain experience on the practice of public health in handling public health issues, planning the healthcare facilities, delivering a quality public health services, enforcing public health policies/regulations and finally learn about the health systems in general at other countries especially from developed country like Japan. Experiencing Health Care and Culture in Niigata, Japan.
Aggression is one of the most common Paediatric Psychiatric emergency problems presented in healthcare services with major public health impacts. The aim of this review is to determine the psychosocial predictors of adolescent aggression. Systematic review on observational study designs were conducted. Recent five years English published journal articles (2014-2018) were searched in three databases (Science Direct, PubMed and EBSCO) from April 2018 until May 2018. The final 15 articles (seven prospective cohort, eight cross-sectional studies) were included in the systematic review. Psychological predictors were mainly on the personality traits and emotional problems experienced by the adolescents including callous-unemotional traits, hostility, anger, and low empathy. Self-control was found to be protective against adolescent aggression. Social predictors that contribute to the aggression among adolescents according to the highest reported number of articles were peer influence, followed by school climate, substance use, neighbourhood influence, family, and parent factors. In conclusion, psychosocial predictors of adolescent aggression include both Psychological Factors; mainly personality traits and emotional problems, and Social Factors; mainly peer influence and substance use. This warrants for more holistic approach in dealing with aggressive adolescents that can be applied in more targeted and focused intervention strategy deliveries.