Introduction: A retrospective study was conducted with the aim of determining
the factors that affect weight loss among post-bariatric surgery patients. Methods:
A successful weight loss outcome in this study was defined as achieving at
least 50% excess weight loss (EWL). Eligible participants were those who had
undergone bariatric surgery at least two years prior to the study. Adherence to
lifestyle recommendations post-bariatric surgery, binge eating, depression, and
social support were assessed. Results: A total of 51 post-bariatric surgery patients
were recruited with a mean post-operative period of 3.2±0.7 years. The mean preoperative weight of 116.6±28.8 kg and body mass index (BMI) 45.2±8.8 kg/m2 were
significantly reduced to 86.6±21.0 kg and 33.6±6.7 kg/m2, respectively, during
follow-up (p
Introduction: Sugar is widely consumed and excessive intake has been associated
with increased risk of weight gain, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases,
leading to metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). However, the association between sugar
intake and MetSyn has seldom been studied among multi-ethnic Malaysian older
adults.
Methods: A total of 1,057 respondents aged ≥60 years were recruited through
multistage random sampling from selected states. Anthropometric parameters, blood
pressure, blood test for sugar and lipid profile were determined. Dietary intake was
derived using a 7-day dietary history questionnaire (DHQ) and a semi-quantitative
food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for added sugar intake.
Results: Prevalence of
MetSyn was 39.9%, 30.9% and 42.2% using the harmonised definition, International
Diabetes Federation (IDF) and National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult
Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) definitions respectively. Mean total sugar intake
was 40.5±32.0 g (8 tsp) and added sugar intake was 33.0±31.0 g (6 tsp). Excessive
added sugar consumption at 100th percentile increased risks of high total cholesterol
by two-fold (p
Introduction Food labeling regulation has been implemented to enable consumers, including those with chronic diseases to make healthy informed choices before purchasing pre-packaged foods. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of obese adults in Malaysia who practice reading food labels. It explored types of labels read and understanding of the information.
Methods Findings presented in this study were captured from the secondary analysis of National Health and Morbidity Survey’s (NHMS, 2006) food label study which focused only on obese adults (BMI > 30 kg/m2) aged 18 and above. This nation-wide cross sectional study was conducted from April to August 2006 using an interview-based questionnaire. Complex data analysis was done using Stata version 12.0.
Results There were 4565 obese respondents with the mean age of 33 ± 9.7 (18-60 years old). About 54.7% completed high-school and 9.9% were higher degree
holders. Prevalence of obese adults who claimed to read label was 80.5% (95%CI: 79.3, 81.6). Findings showed significant results in reading and understanding labels among all age group categories, Malay, Indian and other Bumiputras, all education categories and married respondents. Expiry date was the highest percentage being read (74.5%), followed by fat content (15.3%), vitamin (11.8%) and carbohydrate (10.9%).
Conclusions The obese population in Malaysia claimed to read and understand the food label but did not focus on specific macronutrients related to their health
condition. Findings can be used to implement effective education programmes targeting the relevant groups to instill an awareness to read, understand and use the label information as one of the means in combating obesity.
Study name: National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS-2006)
Substantial advances on the life expectancy have been achieved in Malaysia over the past few decades. It is essential that elderly lead a healthier old age which leans towards successful aging. Thus, this study describes the major causes of premature mortality among the elderly population in Malaysia, 2014.
Introduction Physical activity assessment in children is the first step in assessing the
relationship between activity and health, as well as the determinants of
childhood physical activity and changes in activity level.Physical Activity
Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) is self- administered
questionnaire to assess physical activity among older children. The objective
of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of Physical Activity
Questionnaire for Older Children in Malay language PAQ-C (M).
Methods The validation study was done among 73 students aged 10 to 17 years old.
The PAQ-C was translated into Malay language using forward and backward
translation. The evaluation of the psychometric properties included internal
consistency, test-retest reliability and criterion validity. Reliability of PAQ-C
(M) was determined using Cronbach alpha and intra-class correlation
coefficient (ICC). The PAQ-C (M) was administered twice in one week
interval to assess test-retest reliability. Criterion validity was assessed
between PAQ-C (M) and 3 Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR).
Results The internal consistency of PAQ-C (M) assessment calculated in this study
was α = 0.75 and α = 0.77 for assessments one and two, respectively. The
ICC between individual items of PAQ-C (M) was 0.59 to 0.91, indicating
moderate to good correlation. The Spearmen correlation coefficient between
PAQ-C (M) and 3DPARwas acceptable (r=0.60, p
Introduction The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide
and many of these affected individuals remain unidentified. Undiagnosed
T2DM may impose substantial public health implications because these
individuals remain untreated and at risk for complications. The objective of
this study was to determine the national prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM
and to identify the associated risk factors.
Methods A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted involving 17,783
respondents. Two-stage stratified sampling design was used to select a
representative sample of the Malaysian adult population. Structured
validated questionnaires with face to face interviews were used to obtain
data. Respondents, who claimed that they were not having diabetes, were
then asked to perform a fasting blood glucose finger-prick test by Accutrend
GC machine.
Results The prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM was 8.9% (n=1587). The highest
percentage of undiagnosed T2DM was found among males (10.2%), 55-59
years old (13.4%), highest education attainers of primary school (11.1%),
Indians (10.3%), married (10.3%), working (8.9%) and living in the urban
areas (9.2%). Multivariate analyses showed that factors associated with
undiagnosed T2DM were gender, age group, ethnicity, marital status, obesity
and hypertension.
Conclusion This study found an increasing trend of undiagnosed T2DM in Malaysia
compared to 2006. This finding is alarming as risk factors associated with
undiagnosed diabetes were related to most of the socio-demographic factors
studied. Therefore, early diabetic screening is crucial especially among adults
aged 30 and above to prevent more serious complications of this disease.
Introduction: This study aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) and their
association with successful aging (SA). Methods: A comparative cross-sectional
study was conducted among 579 elderly subjects recruited from four states in
Malaysia through a multistage random sampling method. SA was defined as having
no chronic illnesses, no functional limitation, normal global function, no depression,
a good quality of life and good self-perceived health. Information on dietary intake was
obtained using a diet history questionnaire. Cognitive functions were assessed using
the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), depressive symptoms using Geriatric
Depression Score-15 items (GDS-15) and a question regarding their perceived health
and quality of life. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily
Living (IADL) questionnaires were used to determine functional status. DPs were
obtained using the principal component analysis (PCA) approach. An ordinal logistic
regression model was used to examine associations between DP scores and SA.
Results: Five DPs were identified namely ‘sweet foods-beverages’, ‘meat-vegetablesrice and noodles’, ‘local snacks-fish and seafood-high salt foods’, ‘fruits-legumes’, and
‘tropical fruits-oats’. A higher score for ‘tropical fruits-oats’ DP was associated with
SA [Adjusted OR=1.59 (95% CI: 1.08-2.32)]. However, the association diminished
when the model was adjusted for education level. Further analysis indicated that
this DP increased the chance of SA among those with secondary education and above
[Adjusted OR=2.43 (95% CI: 1.09–5.42)]. Conclusion: ‘Tropical fruits-oats’ DP is
associated with SA among elderly with secondary education and above. There is a
need to investigate DPs among those with lower education.
Falls are a public health concern among older adults. There is a need to take significant measures such as screening for the risk of a fall as a means of prevention and management. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine discriminative and predictive ability of physical performance measures in identifying the risk of fall among Malaysian community dwelling older adults. Three hundred twenty-five Malaysian community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above (67.67+ 5.5 years) participated in this study. This study was a part of a larger longitudinal study ‘LRGS TUA’. Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA), a comprehensive tool for quantifying risk of fall was used as a standard measure of comparison to 6 Meter Gait Speed (GS), Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Walking While Talking (WWT) tests to establish discriminative and predictive ability. Participants recorded incidence of falls in a ‘falls diary’ over a span of six months. To determine the optimum cut off scores of the test identified to classify fall risk, receiver operator curves (ROC) were used and its sensitivity and specificity were calculated. A significant mean difference between fallers and non-fallers was demonstrated only with TUG test (p<0.05). TUG test cut off score in discriminating older adults at risk of fall was established at eight seconds, with a sensitivity and specificity of 83.95% and 32.4%, respectively, in this study. Eighty-four percent older adults who experienced a fall in our study were identified to be at risk of fall when screened using this TUG cut off score. Our study results suggested TUG test to be an optimal screening tool for risk of fall among community dwelling older adults.