C1 Prevalence of smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students in Petaling District, Selangor
Afiah MZ*, Hejar AR*, Kulanthayan KC**, Fadhilah J***, Law TH**
*Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, **Faculty of Engineering,Universiti Putra Malaysia,
***Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Technology MARA Med J Malaysia 61(1): 41-47, 2006
Smoking and alcohol intake patterns may persists from adolescence to adulthood.
The aims of this study is to determine the prevalence and factors associated with smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in January 2003 among Form Six students from government schools in the Petaling District, Selangor. 136 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students selected through multi-stage stratified sampling. Response rate in this study was 90.1% (136/151). The respondents were mainly Chinese 60 (44.1%) and female 88 (64.7%). The prevalence of smoking was 22.8% whereas the prevalence of alcohol intake was 47.8%. Only 33.1% of the respondents practiced undetermined activities and 1.5% have undetermined characters. There were significant associations between smoking and males (Adjusted OR 2.56, 95%
CI 1.02-6.43) and smoking and alcohol intake (Adjusted OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.11- 6.78). Alcohol intake has significant negative association with Malays (Adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.03-0.27). Smoking habits among adolescents were associated with males and alcohol intake. However, only alcohol intake was negatively associated with Malays. Program interventions to reduce behavioural problems, particularly smoking and alcohol intake should be emphasized.
C2 Effects of Nutritional Status on Academic Performance of Malaysian Primary School Children
Anuar Zaini MZ1, Lim CT2, Low WY3, Harun F4
1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur; 2Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur; 3Health Research Development Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur; 4Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur
Asia Pac J Public Health 17(2): 81-87, 2005
Numerous factors are known to affect the academic performance of students.
These include prenatal conditions, birth conditions, postnatal events, nutritional, socio-economic factors and environmental factors. This paper examines the nutritional status and its relationship with academic performance of 9-10 years old primary school children recruited randomly in Selangor, Malaysia. A standard self- administered questionnaire was utilized to obtain pertinent information and a face-
to-face interview was also conducted with the parents. Results of the academic performances were extracted from the students' report cards. The intellectual performance was assessed using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. Physical examination was also conducted on these students by doctors. Overall 1,405 students and 1,317 parents responded to the survey. Of these 83.6% were Malays, 11.6% Indians, and 4.2% Chinese. The majority of them (82.9%) were from urban areas. The female: male ratio was 51:49; mean age was 9.71 years. The mean height and weight were 32.3 kg and 135.2 cm respectively. Their mean BMI was 17.42 kg/cm2, with 0.9% underweight, 76.3% normal BMI, 16.3% overweight, and 6.3% obese. Academic performance was significantly correlated with breast feeding, income and educational level of their parents, BMI, and whether they have been taking breakfast. There was a weak correlation between presence of anaemia and intellectual performance. Improving the socio-economic status of the parents will lend a helping hand in the academic performance of the students. Since breast feeding is associated with better academic and intellectual performance it must be emphasized, particularly to expectant mothers in the antenatal clinics.
C3 Comparison of Food Choice Motives between Malay Husbands and Wives in an Urban Community
Asma A1,2, Nawalyah AG1, Rokiah MY1 & Mohd Nasir MT1
1 Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Universiti Putra Malaysia 2 Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agrotechnology and Food Science Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Mal J Nutr 16(1): 69 – 81, 2010
The main objective of this study was to determine the motives underlying the selection of foods between husbands and wives in an urban community. This cross- sectional study was carried out in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia among 150 married couples aged 20 and above, who voluntarily agreed to participate and were not on any special diet. Data were collected using the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) which measured the health-related and non health related factor that influence people's food choices. It consisted of 36 items designed to assess the reported importance of nine factors: health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern. In this study, the FCQ was adapted and a new factor, religion (religious guidelines), was included. Demographic characteristics including age, occupation, education, household income and household size were also collected. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16. Results showed that 40.7% of husbands (mean age= 43.33 + 11.16 years) and 55.3% of wives (mean age= 41.28 + 10.93 years) perceived themselves as the main food shopper while 12.0% of the husbands and 85.3% of the wives perceived themselves as the main meal planner. Husbands rated religion as the most prominent factor in food choice motives with a mean average rating of 4.56 + 0.59 on a 5-point rating scale, followed by health and convenience factor.
Meanwhile, the wives rated health as the most essential factor with mean average rating of 4.49 + 0.58, followed by religion and convenience factor. Sensory appeal, ethical concerns and familiarity were rated as the bottom three factors of food choice motives among these two groups. Price of foods was not considered as an important factor in making food choices for the subjects in this study. In conclusion, the husbands and wives of this urban community rated religion, health and convenience as the three most important food choice motives in food selection.
C4 Healthy eating away-from-home: effects of dining occasion and the number of menu items
Boo HC, Chan LT and Fatimah U
Department of Food Management and Service, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang
International Food Research Journal 15(2): 201-208, 2008
Consumers are reported to be increasingly concerned about their health. Nonetheless, consumers show different attitudes toward food at home and away from home. In particular, consumers tend to shy away from healthy food items when dining on special occasions. This study is the first to look into the number of healthy menu items provided to consumers during dining occasions. The impacts of two independent variables (dining occasion: normal vs. special; number of healthy items: limited vs.
extended) on consumers' dining menu selection was examined among female university students. The results of this study indicate that both dining occasion and the number of healthy items offered could influence consumers' food selection independently. Although consumers are more likely to choose unhealthy items while dining'on special occasions, offering more healthy items would increase the probability of healthy eating. This study also offers some insights into the food categories and cooking methods favored by consumers. Further studies should explore other potential foods that would enhance the selection of healthy options by consumers.
C5 Applicability of the stages of change and Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire with natives of Sarawak, Malaysia
Chang CT
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia Rural and Remote Health.7(4): 864, 2007 (Online)
INTRODUCTION: There is an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Malaysia. Besides prevalence studies, not much is known about either overweight or obese individuals. The objective of this study was to determine the stages of change in losing weight and the self-efficacy in eating control of three
A cross-sectional study was conducted in one rural region in Sarawak using a purposive sample. A structured questionnaire, which included two scales: (1) Weight: Stages of change (SOC) to assess readiness to change; and (2) Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WEL) (both adopted from the transtheoretical model of change); and a set of pre-tested questionnaires on socio-demographic data, the presence of health problems and self-assessment of weight appropriateness, was used to interview respondents. RESULTS: The stage distribution for weight loss of these adults respondents (n = 271) showed that 60.5% (n = 164) were in the pre-contemplation stage, 20.7% (n = 56) were in the contemplation stage, 8.5%
(n = 23) were in the preparation stage, and 8.9% (n = 24) were in the action stage, while only 1.5% (n = 4) were in the maintenance stage. Except for education, the stage differences were generally stable across age, sex, race, household income, presence or absence of health problem, self-perceived weight and presence of overweight or obesity. Respondents were least able to control their eating under social pressure and food availability, according to their WEL score. CONCLUSION:
A large proportion of the overweight or obese adults was not intending to lose weight. The factor structure of the two WEL original subscales enabled partial differentiation between respondents who were able or unable to resist eating in situations where there were availability of food and experienced physical discomfort.
The study results indicate the importance of assessing individuals' SOC score in order to implement stage-matched intervention strategies. More studies should be performed in order to validate the WEL questionnaire for use with a Malaysian sample.
C6 Body Mass Index and factors related to overweight among women workers in electronic factories in peninsular Malaysia
Chee HL1, Kandiah M2, Khalid M3, Shamsuddin K4, Jamaluddin J5, Nordin NA5, Shuib R6 and Osman I5
1Asia Research institute, National University of Singapore, Level 4 Shaw Foundation Bldg (AS7), 5 Arts Link, Singapore 117570; 2Department of Nutrition And Health Sciences, Faculty Of Medicine And Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; 3National Institute of Occupational Safety And Health, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; 4 Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 5Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 6Women's Health Development Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, 16159 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia; 7School of management, university sains Malaysia, 11800 minden, penang, Malaysia
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 13(3): 248-254, 2004
Factors related to overweight were examined in a cross-sectional survey that included 1612 women workers from 10 large electronics assembly factories in Peninsular Malaysia. Respondents were Malaysian citizens, direct production workers below the supervisory level, and had worked at least a year in the factory where they were presently employed. Heights and weights were taken to calculate the body mass index (BMI). Weights and BMI increased with increasing age. After adjusting for age, odds ratios for overweight were significantly raised for married women in relation to not married women (OR 1.5, 95% CI=1.15-2.02), lower secondary education in relation to higher than upper secondary education (OR 1.8, 95% CI=1.06-3.14), monthly income RM800-999 (OR 1.7, 95% CI=1.21-2.45) and
>/=RM1,000 (OR 1.8, 95% CI=1.23-2.72) in relation to <RM600, working in rotating shifts that included nightshifts (OR 1.6, 95% CI=1.28-2.06), and not staying in hostel (OR 1.4, 95% CI=1.02-1.88). In a logistic regression model with all variables included as covariates, the factors significantly associated with overweight were age, marital status, education, income, and working in rotating shifts. The overall prevalence of overweight was 37.4%; the overall mean BMI was 24.2+/- 5.4 kg/m(2). Prevalence of overweight and mean BMI for younger age groups were similar to Malay women in the country-wide representative National Health and Morbidity Survey II, but the older age groups in this study had higher overweight prevalence and mean BMI than the national sample. Electronics women workers face a higher risk of overweight, and is an important group for nutrition intervention.
C7 Dietary calcium intake in postmenopausal Malaysian women:
comparison between the food frequency questionnaire and three-day food records
Chee WSS1, Suriah AR1, Zaitun Y2, Chan SP3, Yap SL1 and Chan YM2
1Program of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; 2Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia; 3Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 11(2): 142-146, 2002
The objective of this study was to compare the dietary calcium intakes assessed by a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and the three-day food record method in 230 Chinese postmenopausal women aged 50-65 years in Kuala Lumpur.
The results showed that the mean calcium intake from the dietary records was 447
± 168 mg/day and 499 ± 211 mg/day from the FFQ. The mean difference in intake by the two methods was 51.3 mg (95% CI = - 30.8 - 77.9; SD = 181.2, P > 0.05), which did not differ significantly from zero. Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.56 was obtained between the two methods. Ninety-five percent of the individuals classified by food records fell into the same or within-one-quartile category when
methods. No subjects were grossly misclassified by the FFQ. The FFQ correctly identified subjects with calcium intakes below the Malaysian recommended daily allowance (450 mg/day) with 60% specificity and with 92% specificity for women consuming less than 800 mg calcium/day. In conclusion, the FFQ developed was a useful, rapid clinical tool for assessing calcium intake and identifying postmenopausal Chinese women with low calcium intakes in Malaysia.
C8 Resemblance in dietary habits and calcaneal ultrasound attenuation in malay mother-daughter pairs
Chee SS and Lee SW
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur.
Mal J Nutr 9(2): 85-93, 2003
The relationship between dietary habits and bone health status was evaluated in 61 pairs of premenopausal mothers and their biological daughters aged 10-19 years.
Subjects were volunteers living in Kuala Lumpur. Bone status of the calcaneus was assessed using Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) which measured the Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA; in units of dB/MHz) of the bone. Daily nutrient intake of all subjects was evaluated using a 3-day dietary record. Reproductive history, food intake habits, and physical activity level were assessed using questionnaires. Bone health status of mothers (mean BUA of 98.0 ± 15.8 dB/MHz) was significantly higher (p<0.001) compared to their daughters (mean BUA of 86.4
± 17.0 dB/MHz). BUA (r=0.30, p<0.05), weight (r=0.30, p<0.05) and BMI (r=0.32, p<0.05) were significantly correlated within mother-daughter pairs. Lifestyle characteristics such as calcium intake and physical activity were not correlated.
However, other dietary habits (energy intake, milk intake and frequency of skipping meals) in daughters were significantly correlated with their mothers. This study suggests that mothers play an important role in influencing the dietary habits of their daughters, which in turn may affect their bone health status.
C9 The prevalence of endemic goitre in the Keningau Division of Sabah Chen PC, Wong ML and Ong FP
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya
Asia Pac J Public Health 3(1): 78-81, 1989
Four areas of differing remoteness were studied to determine the prevalence of goitre in the Keningau Division of Sabah. These areas were Keningau town, the Biah Resettlement Scheme, the Dalit subdistrict and the Pagalunggan subdistrict.
The predominant ethnic group in these areas is the Murut.
The overall endemicity of goitre for the study population was 76.5% for females aged 15 years and above. There was a significant correlation between the incidence of goitre and the remoteness of an area. The Dalit subdistrict has the highest incidence of goitre (82.6%) followed by the Pagalunggan subdistrict (77.8%), the majority of these goitre cases being classified as grade 2 (visible goitres). These were the two most remote areas in the study. In contrast, Keningau town, the least remote area has the lowest incidence of goitre (62.5%) with most of the goitres being relatively small. With regards to salt usage in the Dalit subdistrict, only 3.0%
used iodised salt; 28.0% used fine salt; 3.6% used coarse salt and 65.5% used both fine and coarse salt. In the Pagalunggan subdistrict, all females used uniodised salt with 17.6% using fine salt, 20% using coarse salt and the remainder using both fine and coarse salt. As yet, there is no legislation for the iodisation of salt in Sabah. It is clear that all types of salt need to be iodised and adequately distributed to deprived areas, particularly inland areas.
C10 Eating behaviors among female adolescents in Kuantan District, Pahang, Malaysia
Chin YS and Mohd Nasir MT
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Pak J Nutr 8(4): 425-432, 2009
This study examined eating behaviors among female adolescents. A total of 407 female students aged between 13-19 years were randomly selected from two secondary schools in Kuantan district, Pahang, Malaysia. All participants were required to complete a self-administered Eating Behaviors Questionnaire and their weight and height were measured by the researchers. A majority of the participants were Malays (65.3%), followed by Chinese (28.3%) and Indians (6.4%). There were 5.9% underweight participants, 75.4% were normal-weight and 18.7% were overweight. About one third (35.9%) never skipped any of the daily three meals, but another half (52.6%) skipped at least one meal a day and the remaining (11.5%) had even skipped all three meals in a day. The most frequently missed meals were breakfast (47.4%). Half (51.4%) snacked between meals daily and three in four (76.9%) had their meals with family members. No differences were found between the socio-demographic variables (age, household members, parent's total year of schooling, parental monthly income and living arrangement) and meal skipping behaviors. However, those who usually skipped meals were those who usually eat alone (Chi2 = 16.933, p < 0.0001), overweight (Chi 2 = 15.943, p < 0.05) and were Malays (Chi2 = 33.827, p < 0.05). In conclusion, meal skipping, snacking and practicing various weight loss behaviors were some of the unhealthy eating behaviors depicted among adolescent girls. Focusing on promotion of healthy eating that stresses on the importance of regular intakes of main meals during adolescence is crucial for their current and future health and well-being.
C11 Sex and ethnic differentials in physical activity levels of adolescents in Kuantan
Dan SP, Mohd. Nasir MT and Zalilah MS
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Mal J Nutr 13(2): 109-120, 2007
A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the physical activity levels of 400 adolescents (13 years old) in Kuantan, Pahang using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The associations of physical activity levels with sex, ethnicity and body mass index were also determined. About one third (35.3%) of the adolescents were in the low physical activity level category, 61.5% in the moderate physical activity level and only 3.0% of the adolescents were in the high physical activity level category. More males (77.9%) were physically active than females (54.9%). Twice as many female adolescents (45.1%) were in the low physical activity level category compared to the male adolescents (22.1%).
The associations between physical activity with ethnicity and body mass index were not significant. However, there was a significant interaction effect of sex and ethnicity in mean physical activity score (F = 2.36, p<0.01). Malay males had a significantly higher mean physical activity score as compared to Chinese males (t=2.13; p<0.05). Although Chinese females had a higher mean physical activity score than Malay females, the difference was not statistically significant. Conversely, there was no interaction effect of sex and BMI status in mean physical activity score. This study suggests that physical activity intervention to promote regular physical activity is needed since a high proportion of the adolescents fall within the low physical activity level category.
C12 Knowledge Of Diabetes Mellitus Among Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Patients In Klinik Kesihatan Seremban
Ding CH1, Teng CL2, Koh CN3
1Medical Student, International Medical University; 2Department of Family Medicine, IMU Clinical School; 3Klinik Kesihatan Seremban, Negri Sembilan
Med J Malaysia 61(4): 399-404, 2006
The Malaysian Ministry of Health has undertaken various campaigns on healthy lifestyle and health promotion over the years. The impact of these campaigns has been mixed and not well documented. This cross-sectional study evaluated the knowledge level of patients with and without diabetes in a large urban polyclinic using a 41-item questionnaire. One hundred and forty-nine adults (83 with diabetes, 66 without diabetes) participated in this study. Patients with diabetes had higher overall knowledge scores than those without diabetes (81.8% vs 64.00%, p <
0.001). While the overall knowledge of patients without diabetes appeared to be acceptable, several areas of knowledge deficiency were identified in this group -