1.
Hairi, F; Ong, C H; Suhaimi, A; Tsung, T W; Ahmad, M A Anis; Sundaraj, C; Soe, M M
A knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) study on dengue among selected rural communities in the Kuala Kangsar district Journal Article
In: Asia Pac J Public Health, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 37-43, 2003, ISSN: 1010-5395 (Print) 1010-5395.
@article{RN14565,
title = {A knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) study on dengue among selected rural communities in the Kuala Kangsar district},
author = {F Hairi and C H Ong and A Suhaimi and T W Tsung and M A Anis Ahmad and C Sundaraj and M M Soe},
url = {http://aph.sagepub.com/content/15/1/37.full.pdf},
issn = {1010-5395 (Print)
1010-5395},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Asia Pac J Public Health},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {37-43},
abstract = {A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning dengue and its vector Aedes mosquito among selected rural communities in the Kuala Kangsar district from 16-25th June, 2002. It was found that the knowledge of the community was good. Out of the 200 respondents, 82.0% cited that their main source of information on dengue was from television/radio. The respondents' attitude was found to be good and most of them were supportive of Aedes control measures. There is a significant association found between knowledge of dengue and attitude towards Aedes control (p = 0.047). It was also found that good knowledge does not necessarily lead to good practice. This is most likely due to certain practices like water storage for domestic use, which is deeply ingrained in the community. Mass media is an important means of conveying health messages to the public even among the rural population, thus research and development of educational strategies designed to improve behaviour and practice of effective control measures among the villagers are recommended.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning dengue and its vector Aedes mosquito among selected rural communities in the Kuala Kangsar district from 16-25th June, 2002. It was found that the knowledge of the community was good. Out of the 200 respondents, 82.0% cited that their main source of information on dengue was from television/radio. The respondents' attitude was found to be good and most of them were supportive of Aedes control measures. There is a significant association found between knowledge of dengue and attitude towards Aedes control (p = 0.047). It was also found that good knowledge does not necessarily lead to good practice. This is most likely due to certain practices like water storage for domestic use, which is deeply ingrained in the community. Mass media is an important means of conveying health messages to the public even among the rural population, thus research and development of educational strategies designed to improve behaviour and practice of effective control measures among the villagers are recommended.
2.
Zainuddin, J; Arokiasamy, J T; Poi, P J
Caregiving burden is associated with short rather than long duration of care for older persons Journal Article
In: Asia Pac J Public Health, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 88-93, 2003, ISSN: 1010-5395 (Print) 1010-5395.
@article{RN14564,
title = {Caregiving burden is associated with short rather than long duration of care for older persons},
author = {J Zainuddin and J T Arokiasamy and P J Poi},
issn = {1010-5395 (Print)
1010-5395},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Asia Pac J Public Health},
volume = {15},
number = {2},
pages = {88-93},
abstract = {This is a preliminary cross-sectional study of 51 caregivers of older persons attending the Geriatric Clinic at an urban hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A questionnaire helped determine how the duration of caregiving affects the outcome of caregiver burden. The short version of Zarit's Burden Interview (BI) allowed the burden level to be grouped as low or high burden. The duration of caregiving was also grouped into short (two or less years) or long (more than two years) durations. One third of the caregivers, 31% (16 out of 51) reported high burden and within this group 81%, (13 out of 16) are short duration caregivers. Majority of the longer duration caregivers, 88% (21 out of 24) reported low level of burden. This was a significant finding (p-value 0.008). The study also showed that a higher proportion of caregivers are employed, working in the private sector, and earn less than RM2,000 per month. However, these findings were not significantly associated with high burden. It is concluded that although this study showed low level of caregiver burden, shorter duration of caregiving is associated with higher level of burden and longer duration of caregiving is associated with lower level of burden.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This is a preliminary cross-sectional study of 51 caregivers of older persons attending the Geriatric Clinic at an urban hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A questionnaire helped determine how the duration of caregiving affects the outcome of caregiver burden. The short version of Zarit's Burden Interview (BI) allowed the burden level to be grouped as low or high burden. The duration of caregiving was also grouped into short (two or less years) or long (more than two years) durations. One third of the caregivers, 31% (16 out of 51) reported high burden and within this group 81%, (13 out of 16) are short duration caregivers. Majority of the longer duration caregivers, 88% (21 out of 24) reported low level of burden. This was a significant finding (p-value 0.008). The study also showed that a higher proportion of caregivers are employed, working in the private sector, and earn less than RM2,000 per month. However, these findings were not significantly associated with high burden. It is concluded that although this study showed low level of caregiver burden, shorter duration of caregiving is associated with higher level of burden and longer duration of caregiving is associated with lower level of burden.
3.
Bulgiba, A M; Noran, M H
IT usage, perceptions and literacy of medical students Journal Article
In: Asia Pac J Public Health, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 127-34, 2003, ISSN: 1010-5395 (Print) 1010-5395.
@article{RN14562,
title = {IT usage, perceptions and literacy of medical students},
author = {A M Bulgiba and M H Noran},
url = {http://aph.sagepub.com/content/15/2/127.full.pdf},
issn = {1010-5395 (Print)
1010-5395},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Asia Pac J Public Health},
volume = {15},
number = {2},
pages = {127-34},
abstract = {A cross-sectional study of medical students using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia from December 2000 to January 2001 to determine IT usage, perceptions and literacy of medical students. 366 of 653 (56.0%) students reported owning some type of personal computer. Students mainly used the computer to get onto the Internet, do word-processing and make presentations. Junior (Year One and Two) students and those who had used computers before entering university were more likely to use the Internet. Those who own computers were more likely to feel comfortable with software (OR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.38). Students who use the Internet were more likely to perceive that IT facilitated their studies (OR 4.61, 95% CI: 2.35, 9.05). The highest self-reported IT skill was e-mailing followed by surfing the World Wide Web and word-processing. Male students and junior students had significantly higher self-reported IT literacy scores compared to female students and senior students. Significant predictors for an IT identifier score after adjusting for other variables were self-reported rating of computer knowledge, number of siblings, parents' income and gender.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A cross-sectional study of medical students using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia from December 2000 to January 2001 to determine IT usage, perceptions and literacy of medical students. 366 of 653 (56.0%) students reported owning some type of personal computer. Students mainly used the computer to get onto the Internet, do word-processing and make presentations. Junior (Year One and Two) students and those who had used computers before entering university were more likely to use the Internet. Those who own computers were more likely to feel comfortable with software (OR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.09, 2.38). Students who use the Internet were more likely to perceive that IT facilitated their studies (OR 4.61, 95% CI: 2.35, 9.05). The highest self-reported IT skill was e-mailing followed by surfing the World Wide Web and word-processing. Male students and junior students had significantly higher self-reported IT literacy scores compared to female students and senior students. Significant predictors for an IT identifier score after adjusting for other variables were self-reported rating of computer knowledge, number of siblings, parents' income and gender.
4.
Quek, K F; Loh, C S; Low, W Y; Razack, A H; Dublin, N
The male marital satisfaction following treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms Journal Article
In: J Sex Marital Ther, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 173-6, 2003, ISSN: 0092-623X (Print) 0092-623x.
@article{RN16084,
title = {The male marital satisfaction following treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms},
author = {K F Quek and C S Loh and W Y Low and A H Razack and N Dublin},
issn = {0092-623X (Print)
0092-623x},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {J Sex Marital Ther},
volume = {29},
number = {2},
pages = {173-6},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
5.
Nissapatorn, V; Lee, C K; Cho, S M; Rohela, M; Anuar, A K; Quek, K F; Latt, H M
Toxoplasmosis in HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia Journal Article
In: Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, vol. 34 Suppl 2, pp. 80-5, 2003, ISSN: 0125-1562 (Print) 0125-1562.
@article{RN16087,
title = {Toxoplasmosis in HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia},
author = {V Nissapatorn and C K Lee and S M Cho and M Rohela and A K Anuar and K F Quek and H M Latt},
issn = {0125-1562 (Print)
0125-1562},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health},
volume = {34 Suppl 2},
pages = {80-5},
abstract = {Three hundred and one sera of HIV/AIDS patients were tested for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody by ELISA technique. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was 41.2% (95% CI: 35.5-46.9) in HIV/AIDS patients. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in the Malay (57.9%) than the Chinese (38.7%), followed by the Indian patients (29.6%) (p\<0.05). No possible risk factor, such as contact with cats, consumption of uncooked meat, and history of blood transfusions was found to have any significant association with the presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibody in the study sample (p\>0.05). Multivariate analysis was employed to find any association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and a single subject having single or multiple risk factors. It was found that the association was not statistically significant (p\>0.05). Among the HIV/AIDS study samples, 124 (41.2%) samples were found to have positive anti-Toxoplasma antibody, the association between the presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibody and CD4 cell count was determined but no statistically significant association was found (p\>0.05). During the study period, only one case of active CNS toxoplasmosis was registered and the diagnostic criteria included: clinical presentations, CT scan finding, serological evidence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody, and respose to anti-Toxoplasma therapy.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Three hundred and one sera of HIV/AIDS patients were tested for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody by ELISA technique. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was 41.2% (95% CI: 35.5-46.9) in HIV/AIDS patients. The seroprevalence was significantly higher in the Malay (57.9%) than the Chinese (38.7%), followed by the Indian patients (29.6%) (p<0.05). No possible risk factor, such as contact with cats, consumption of uncooked meat, and history of blood transfusions was found to have any significant association with the presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibody in the study sample (p>0.05). Multivariate analysis was employed to find any association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and a single subject having single or multiple risk factors. It was found that the association was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Among the HIV/AIDS study samples, 124 (41.2%) samples were found to have positive anti-Toxoplasma antibody, the association between the presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibody and CD4 cell count was determined but no statistically significant association was found (p>0.05). During the study period, only one case of active CNS toxoplasmosis was registered and the diagnostic criteria included: clinical presentations, CT scan finding, serological evidence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody, and respose to anti-Toxoplasma therapy.
6.
Nissapatorn, V; Azmi, M A Noor; Cho, S M; Fong, M Y; Init, I; Rohela, M; Anuar, A Khairul; Quek, K F; Latt, H M
Toxoplasmosis: prevalence and risk factors Journal Article
In: J Obstet Gynaecol, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 618-24, 2003, ISSN: 0144-3615 (Print) 0144-3615.
@article{RN16077,
title = {Toxoplasmosis: prevalence and risk factors},
author = {V Nissapatorn and M A Noor Azmi and S M Cho and M Y Fong and I Init and M Rohela and A Khairul Anuar and K F Quek and H M Latt},
doi = {10.1080/01443610310001604376},
issn = {0144-3615 (Print)
0144-3615},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {J Obstet Gynaecol},
volume = {23},
number = {6},
pages = {618-24},
abstract = {A total of 200 pregnant women were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was found to be 49%, in which 39%, 4% and 6% for anti-Toxoplasma IgG, IgM and both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. We found the differences in Toxoplasma seroprevalence rates among the races were significant: the highest rate was in the Malays (55.7%), followed by the Indian (55.3%) and the Chinese (19.4%) (P\<0.05) populations. An increase in Toxoplasma seroprevalence with increasing parity was detected (P\<0.05). Women with no children had a prevalence of 39.7%, while women with one or more than two children had a prevalence of 44.2% and 62.9%, respectively. In this study, there was no significant association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and various possible risk factors in pregnant women (P\>0.05). When multivariate analysis was performed, no significant association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and history of contact with cats, consumption of undercooked meat and blood transfusion was found (P\>0.05). We did not find any newly diagnosed cases of acute acquired toxoplasmosis in pregnancy during the study period.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A total of 200 pregnant women were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The overall seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was found to be 49%, in which 39%, 4% and 6% for anti-Toxoplasma IgG, IgM and both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. We found the differences in Toxoplasma seroprevalence rates among the races were significant: the highest rate was in the Malays (55.7%), followed by the Indian (55.3%) and the Chinese (19.4%) (P<0.05) populations. An increase in Toxoplasma seroprevalence with increasing parity was detected (P<0.05). Women with no children had a prevalence of 39.7%, while women with one or more than two children had a prevalence of 44.2% and 62.9%, respectively. In this study, there was no significant association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and various possible risk factors in pregnant women (P>0.05). When multivariate analysis was performed, no significant association between Toxoplasma seroprevalence and history of contact with cats, consumption of undercooked meat and blood transfusion was found (P>0.05). We did not find any newly diagnosed cases of acute acquired toxoplasmosis in pregnancy during the study period.
7.
Nissapatorn, V; Kuppusamy, I; Anuar, A K; Quek, K F; Latt, H M
Tuberculosis: clinical manifestations and outcomes Journal Article
In: Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health, vol. 34 Suppl 2, pp. 147-52, 2003, ISSN: 0125-1562 (Print) 0125-1562.
@article{RN16086,
title = {Tuberculosis: clinical manifestations and outcomes},
author = {V Nissapatorn and I Kuppusamy and A K Anuar and K F Quek and H M Latt},
issn = {0125-1562 (Print)
0125-1562},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health},
volume = {34 Suppl 2},
pages = {147-52},
abstract = {A total of 290 HIV/AIDS patients were recruited into this retrospective study, which was carried out at the National Tuberculosis Center (NTBC), Kuala Lumpur. The age range was 18 to 75 years with a mean age of 36.10 (SD +/- 7.44) years. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 31:1. In this study, the majority of patients were male (96.9%), Malay (47.2%), single (66.9%), unemployed (81%), and smoked (61.4%). The main risk marker identified was injecting drug use (74.5%). The most common clinical manifestations were cough, fever, sputum, lymphadenopathy, and chest infiltrations. More than half of the patients (85.9%) were diagnosed with localized tuberculosis (pulmonary) and the others (14.1%) had extra-pulmonary or disseminated tuberculosis. At the time of this study, the majority of the patients (16.9%) had CD4 cell counts of less than 200 cell/mm3, with a median of 221 cell/mm3. Clinical outcomes demonstrated that among those who survived, 11.0% and 20.7% of the patients had completed treatment either \> or = 6 or \> or = 9 months, respectively, whereas 54.8% of patients were lost to follow-up, including 0.7% for MDR-TB. Diagnostic criteria for tuberculosis in this study were mainly clinical symptoms/signs and chest x-ray findings (31.0%).},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A total of 290 HIV/AIDS patients were recruited into this retrospective study, which was carried out at the National Tuberculosis Center (NTBC), Kuala Lumpur. The age range was 18 to 75 years with a mean age of 36.10 (SD +/- 7.44) years. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 31:1. In this study, the majority of patients were male (96.9%), Malay (47.2%), single (66.9%), unemployed (81%), and smoked (61.4%). The main risk marker identified was injecting drug use (74.5%). The most common clinical manifestations were cough, fever, sputum, lymphadenopathy, and chest infiltrations. More than half of the patients (85.9%) were diagnosed with localized tuberculosis (pulmonary) and the others (14.1%) had extra-pulmonary or disseminated tuberculosis. At the time of this study, the majority of the patients (16.9%) had CD4 cell counts of less than 200 cell/mm3, with a median of 221 cell/mm3. Clinical outcomes demonstrated that among those who survived, 11.0% and 20.7% of the patients had completed treatment either > or = 6 or > or = 9 months, respectively, whereas 54.8% of patients were lost to follow-up, including 0.7% for MDR-TB. Diagnostic criteria for tuberculosis in this study were mainly clinical symptoms/signs and chest x-ray findings (31.0%).
8.
Moy, F M; Atiya, A S
Waist circumference as a screening tool for weight management: evaluation using receiver operating characteristic curves for Malay subjects Journal Article
In: Asia Pac J Public Health, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 99-104, 2003, ISSN: 1010-5395 (Print) 1010-5395.
@article{RN14563,
title = {Waist circumference as a screening tool for weight management: evaluation using receiver operating characteristic curves for Malay subjects},
author = {F M Moy and A S Atiya},
issn = {1010-5395 (Print)
1010-5395},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-01-01},
journal = {Asia Pac J Public Health},
volume = {15},
number = {2},
pages = {99-104},
abstract = {Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most established anthropometric indicator used for assessment of nutritional status. Other anthropometric indicators which are related closely to BMI are waist hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference. In this paper, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the value of waist circumference and waist hip ratio as a screening measure for the need of weight management using BMI as the reference test. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at several cut-offs. The areas under the ROC curve calculated by comparing waist circumference with BMI were high (0.70 - 0.86) while the areas calculated for WHR were low (0.46 - 0.67). Sensitivities of 0.745 and 0.800 were observed at cut-off points of waist circumference at 90cm and 80cm for males and females respectively, while the false positive rates were 0.233 for males and 0.250 for females. These cut-off points could be considered as a fair trade-off. Therefore it is concluded that waist circumference performed better than WHR as a screening test. It is indicative that waist circumference could be used as a tool in raising awareness of weight management in this population.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most established anthropometric indicator used for assessment of nutritional status. Other anthropometric indicators which are related closely to BMI are waist hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference. In this paper, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the value of waist circumference and waist hip ratio as a screening measure for the need of weight management using BMI as the reference test. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at several cut-offs. The areas under the ROC curve calculated by comparing waist circumference with BMI were high (0.70 - 0.86) while the areas calculated for WHR were low (0.46 - 0.67). Sensitivities of 0.745 and 0.800 were observed at cut-off points of waist circumference at 90cm and 80cm for males and females respectively, while the false positive rates were 0.233 for males and 0.250 for females. These cut-off points could be considered as a fair trade-off. Therefore it is concluded that waist circumference performed better than WHR as a screening test. It is indicative that waist circumference could be used as a tool in raising awareness of weight management in this population.