Iodine deficiency is recognized as a public health problem. This paper assesses iodine status by socioeconomic factors in school children in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Kuching, Bau and Simunjan districts were chosen based on advice from the Sarawak's Medical and Health Authority. 803 school children, aged eight years, were selected from 19 schools via proportionate systematic sampling. About half the proportion of the school children were from Kuching, 24% from Simunjan and 22% from Bau. Almost all were equally distributed by sex. By mother's race, almost half were Malays, followed by Bidayuh, Iban, Chinese and other races. Mean urinary iodine concentration was 3.36 microg/ 100ml, mean creatinine level was 111.10 mg/100ml and mean creatinine/iodine ratio was 39.45 microg/ gram. Four female children (0.5%) were found to have enlarged thyroid. Urinary iodine levels were significantly different by district, mother's race and household income. It was highest in Kuching, among children with Malay mothers, and with household incomes more than RM500 per month. Conversely, it was lowest in Bau, among children of Iban/Dayak and Chinese mothers, and incomes of RM500 or less per month. Based on the WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD classification, the Sarawak school children in the present study fall into the moderate IDD category. The low prevalence of goitre is a positive finding indicating that iodine deficiency is corrected over time.
Objective: Type D personality, tendency trait to experience increased NA (Negative Affect) and SI (Social Inhibition) has been associated with negative psychological conditions linked to heart disease. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Malay version of Type D personality scale (DS14) among Malaysian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study 195 patients diagnosed with CAD were selected from National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur. They completed the questionnaire including demographic information and the Malay version of DS14 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: The structural validity, as demonstrated by exploratory factor analysis of the DS14 was acceptable. The Cronbach's α coefficient for the NA and SI subscales were 0.876 and 0.732, respectively. With the standardized cut-off of NA ≥ 10 and SI ≥ 10, 28.2% of the patients with CAD were defined as having a Type D personality. Anxiety was significantly higher among patients with Type D personality. Conclusion: The results indicate that the Type D personality (DS14) questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool in the Malaysian population. The prevalence of Type D personality in Malaysia falls close to what has been found in Western countries, at least for CAD patients. This study indicates also that it is possible to use the DS14 among the Malaysian population in future cross-cultural studies. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 15 (2): July - December 2014: 186-195.