Wan Abdul Manan Wan Muda

Factors Associated With Undernutrition Among Children in a Rural District of Kelantan, Malaysia

The aim of the study was to identify the factors associated with undernutrition indicators in children 5 years and younger in a rural community in Malaysia. A total of 295 children and their carers were selected from community clinics based on a multistage sampling method. Pretested questionnaire, anthropometric measurement, and dietary assessment were used for data collection. There was 69% stunting, 63.4% underweight, 40% wasting, and 26.8% with mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) for age below a z score of -2 among children. In all, 10 factors were found to be associated with different indicators of undernutrition. Age was the only factor that had association with all the undernutrition indicators. Total household income and total expenditure showed significant association with underweight. Birth weight was reported to have significant association with underweight, stunting, and low MUAC-for-age. The findings suggest that the factors of undernutrition were different for different indicators of undernutrition and thus give a more comprehensive picture on factors contributing to acute and chronic malnutrition.The aim of the study was to identify the factors associated with undernutrition indicators in children 5 years and younger in a rural community in Malaysia. A total of 295 children and their carers...

Effect of food safety training on food handlers’ knowledge and practices

Purpose – A successful food safety intervention must be based on firm theories and a consideration of all relevant variables. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of improvement in food safety knowledge and practices of food handlers in primary school canteens through food safety training. Design/methodology/approach – A list of 98 primary schools was randomized into intervention and control groups using a multistage sampling method. The training programme for the intervention group and questionnaires for evaluating knowledge and practices were developed. On-site observations were done to assess hygienic practices during the handling of raw food and cooking equipment. In total, 16 school canteens participated in this study. Findings – Knowledge about personal hygiene and related to rules for preparing safe food was significantly improved after the food safety intervention. Some of the improvement was sustained for up to 12 weeks after the intervention. The self-reported practice score of foo...

Factors associated with attitude toward premarital sexual activities among school-going adolescents in Kelantan, Malaysia.

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the factors associated with the attitudes toward premarital sexual activities among school-going adolescents in Kelantan, Malaysia. It was conducted among 1032 secondary school students using a self-administered validated questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression revealed that the risk factors for having permissive attitudes toward practice of premarital sexual activities were male students (odds ratio [OR] = 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-2.48), being less religious (OR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.49-2.73), and younger age group of students (13 to 14 years old; OR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.05-1.92). Having good knowledge on sexual and reproductive health was a protective factor against permissive sexual attitude (OR = 0.27; 95% CI = 0.20-0.36). In conclusion, male and young adolescents were at risk of having permissive attitudes toward sexual behaviors, but good knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and being more religious may protect them from it.

Association of Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome and its components among adult Arabs from the United Arab Emirates

AIMSnThe aim was to investigate relationships of Vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) polymorphisms to the components of MetS among Arabs adult residing in the United Arab Emirates.nnnMETHODSnA cross-sectional study of 198 Arabs adult (50 males and 148 females). Serum levels of glucose, vitamin D, HDL-C, and TG, and blood pressure were measured. FokI, BsmI & TaqI genotyping of VDR were investigated using PCR-RFLP technique.nnnRESULTSnAge of the participants was 21(9) years with a BMI of 26.8(7.8) kg/m2. About 15% had MetS with serum vitamin D levels of 25.5(18.2) nmol/L. VDR genotyping yielded: FokI: 57.1% FF and 38.9% Ff, BsmI: 29.8% bb and 51.5% Bb, while TaqI showed 39.4% TT and 43.4% Tt. The ff carriers had higher total cholesterol [174(12.4) mg/dl] than FF and Ff genotypes. Bb carriers showed higher BMI and LDL-C than BB and bb genotypes. In females, FokI VDR polymorphism showed significant association with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and F allele carriers were at higher risk of developing high SBP [x2=4.4, df1, OR=0.29 (95%CI: 0.087-0.98), p=0.035].nnnCONCLUSIONnVDR gene polymorphisms were not associated with MetS, yet it may affect the severity of some of components of MetS, namely the association of BsmI with obesity, FokI and BsmI with dyslipidemia and FokI with SBP.

Self-perception and quality of life among overweight and obese rural housewives in Kelantan, Malaysia

IntroductionObesity, in the past was perceived to be the problem of the rich, but recent studies have reported that the problem of obesity is a worldwide problem and rural population is no less affected. Self-perceived health and weight appropriateness is an important component of weight-loss and eating behaviors and may be mediated by local, social and cultural patterning. In addition to the quality of life assessment, it should therefore be an important focal point for the design and implementation of clinical and public health policies.MethodsThe present study was carried out to assess the self-perception of weight appropriateness as well as the quality of life of overweight and obese individual among the rural population particularly among housewives. A total of 421 respondents participated in the study which consisted of 36.6% in the overweight and 63.4% in the obese categories.Resultsthe analysis of the survey revealed that self-perception regarding obesity among respondents show common similarities, particularly in self reporting on health, dietary habit and also the concept of beauty and a beautiful body. Character and behavior are highly regarded in evaluating a person’s self-worth in society. The results on the quality of life using the ORWELL 97 instrument show that the quality of life of respondents was moderate. Most of the respondents were aware of their body weight and indicated an intention to lose weight but also reported themselves as healthy or very healthy.ConclusionThe results of the survey indicated that perception on obesity did not differed very much between respondents, in fact there existed a lot of similarities in their perception about health, quality of life, personal health and self-satisfaction with own body. However, their quality of life was within the normal or moderate level based on the ORWELL 97 assessment. Even though most of the respondents were aware of their body weight and indicated an intention to lose weight they also reported themselves as healthy or very healthy, suggesting that public health messages intended for rural housewives need to be more tailored to health-related consequences of fatness.

Determination of the Primary School Cooks’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Preparing Healthy School Meal Using Rasch Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the school cooks at primary schools in Kelantan, Malaysia in preparing healthy school meals. In addition, correlation between the KAP domains was also investigated. A validated 47-item self-administered KAP-questionnaire was introduced to 301 school cooks in Kelantan. The dichotomous and polytomous data were subjected to Rasch analysis using the Winstep version 3.80.1. Of 301 respondents, only 231 (76.7 %) data were usable. The remaining data were removed from the dataset since they were considered as misfits due to their inability to meet the accepted region involving the point-measure correlation (PTMEA Corr), Infit and Outfit MNSQ and ZSTD in two or more KAP domains. A bench mark score set by the Malaysia Ministry of Health (MOH) was used to classify the cooks according to their respective level. However, prior to the classification of the school cooks, the items in each domain were sorted according to their difficulty level, and later the logit measures that would provide the cut-off point to certain levels as proposed by the MOH would be identified. The school cooks’ measure table was then mapped to the respective cut-off point for each domain. The results indicate that majority of the school cooks had moderate level of knowledge (50.7 %) and a good level of attitude (97 %) and practice (88.7 %) in preparing healthy meals. Despite having a good attitude and practice, almost one-third (38 %) of them had poor knowledge in preparing healthy school meals. The study also detected weak positive correlation between all the three domains investigated (at p = 0.05). As a conclusion, although the cooks were shown to have a very good attitude towards healthy meal preparation, extra effort should be made in educating them related to nutrition and healthy meal preparation education in order to ensure that other foods prepared and sold at the school canteens are not only safe but also healthy and nutritious.

Reliability and Validity of the Malay Version of the SSIS Instrument for Students Aged 8–12 Years Old in Assessing Social Skills and Problem Behavior

The Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Rating Scales for students can be used to evaluate student’s social skills and problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to validate and examine the reliability of the Malay version of the SSIS instrument for students aged 8–12 years old using the item analysis method. The 75-item self-administered translated SSIS instrument was introduced to 188 students from two conveniently selected primary schools in Malaysia. The polytomous data were analyzed using the Winstep version 3.80.1, which applied Rasch measurement model based on Item Response Theory (IRT) Models. The instrument was subjected to threshold calibration analysis to ensure the suitability of the scales proposed. Item reliability index was used in examining the instrument reliability, while fit statistics which include the point-measure correlation (PTMEA Corr) index and mean square (MNSQ) values and unidimensionality were examined for instrument construct validity. The results showed the proposed 4-point rating scales were workable. All SSIS subdomains have person reliability values of >0.53 and separation indexes >1.07, with positive PTMEA values for all items. The infit and outfit MNSQ that ranged between 0.5 and 1.5 were used for the purpose of reviewing and retaining items. The findings also showed that 73 were fit items (MNSQ 0.5–1.50), none were overfit and two items were misfits. Further analysis on the ICC of the misfit items suggested that those items could be retained due to careless and erratic responses. In conclusion, the Rasch measurement model could be used to produce empirical evidence of validity and reliability of the translated instrument. Hence, the Malay version of the SSIS instrument for students aged 8–12 years old could then be used to further assessing student’s social skills and problem behavior.