E-cigarette use and perception among Malaysian: findings from text-mining analytics

Introduction: E-cigarette use among adults are steadily increasing over the past few years. It is highlighted by the significant increases in online search queries and sharing of information through social media, such as Twitter. However, little attention has been given on understanding the reasons that led to e-cigarette use among Malaysian. In particular, study that leverage the opportunity to extract critical information from textual data in social media by using text mining technique. It is the aim of this paper to share the potential use of such technique by providing overview of processes and examples of the insights derived from the analysis. Methods: In this study, the textual analytics was used to identify topics and extract meanings from social media posts, in this case Twitter. The messages posted by Malaysian users from 2012 to early 2017 containing any of the selected keywords or phrase (i.e., #vape, #ecig, #vaping, #ejuice, #vapemalaysia) were collected using its search application programming interface (API). A total of 4211 messages containing original tweets were retrieved. Results: The result from the text mining analytics show that mainly there were three themes emerged on the reasons of e-cigarette use, namely: the sense of being part of a bigger community, e-cigarette is perceived more fun as compared to smoking conventional cigarette, and flavour of e-liquid. The result also shows that there was a spike on Twitter activity in 2015, where the topic on vape community were mostly posted. Discussion: The three themes identified in this study reveal initial reactions of public to Malaysian Government initiatives to regulate e-cigarette. It is believed that such findings would allow the government and medical practitioners to better understand public knowledge levels and identify current misunderstandings

A snapshot of pre- And Post-intervention changes among cardiovascular disease patients participating in the new Smoking Cessation Program

Background: The study evaluates the changes of pre and post stages of behavioral change, motivation level, and smoking status among cardiovascular disease patients, participating in the new smoking cessation program in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan. Methods: A total of 65 adult cardiac patients were randomly distributed into two groups, i.e., intervention and control group, who were baseline smokers and assessed in three phases. Initially, the first, second, and third phase collected the information about their demographic details, their smoking status, and smoking status using cotinine amylase strip, respectively. Results: It showed that behavioral change was significant for the control group (P value = 0.031), while motivation level improved for both groups (i.e., control, P value = 0.000 and intervention group, P value = 0.001). The smoke quitting status percentage was higher for intervention group 41.9% and lower for control group 20.6%; however, the P value was insignificant for both control group (1.000) and intervention group (0.250). Conclusions: This study suggests a need for more personal testimonial videos to focus on other smoking-related diseases

National E-cigarette Survey (NECS) 2016 in Malaysia method and population characteristic

E-cigarette and vape (ECV) use has become a worldwide phenomenon since 2010. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ever user, current user and factors associated with ECV use among Malaysian adults. This will provide evidence for policy makers to formulate appropriate measures towards regulation of ECV in Malaysia and can become a reference for other similar countries. Method: Complex sampling design was used to represent 19 million of Malaysian adult household. Samples were stratified by states and urbanity. Sampling units were districts, enumeration blocks and living quarters. All adults from the selected houses were invited to participate in this survey. Analysis was done using sampling weight and complex sampling analysis. Results: A total of 4,288 individual responded in this survey. Majority of the respondents were at 25-44 years of age group (44%), completed at least secondary level of education (69%), of Malay ethnicity (73%), Muslim (79%) and married (68%). Male and female were equally represented. Seventy two percent of the respondents were from the urban residential area (n=2,123). The prevalence of current ECV users was 3.2%, with an estimated number of 602,122 in the population. The prevalence was 3.3% and 2.9% in urban and rural respectively. ECV users were common among 18-24 years old, male and those with tertiary level education. Discussion: This study able to represent Malaysia and results can be used to guide healthcare managers to manage e-cigarette use in the country

Evidence of the Practice of Self-Medication with Antibiotics among the Lay Public in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

The current scoping review is an attempt to explore the key reasons, determinants, patterns and prevalence related to self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) among the lay public. An online search was conducted using Google Scholar, Science Direct, ProQuest and PubMed. A two-phase mapping approach was used. In the first phase, studies were screened. In the second phase, the data were extracted from selected studies followed by the assessment of data quality. A total of 24 studies were included; 20 were cross-sectional, 3 were qualitative and one was observational. The most common indications were flu, cough, common colds, sore throat, diarrhea, toothache and fever. The most common determinants reported were past good experience and suggestions from friends or relatives. The use of SMA was observed to be more frequent in younger aged individuals belonging to low- or middle-income groups. The prevalence rate was reported to be high among the South Asian lay public and may be a major contributor to antibiotic resistance. In conclusion, this scoping review identifies a need for education campaigns and mass media campaigns to strengthen lay public awareness about the side effects and risks associated with SMA. In addition to this, there is a need to implement strict policies by government agencies to restrict over the counter availability of antibiotics

Self-Medication with Antibiotics: Prevalence, Practices and Related Factors among the Pakistani Public

Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) has become considerably common in developing countries, which is a critical factor for driving antibiotic resistance. Individuals involved in SMA generally do not have adequate knowledge regarding the appropriate use, indications and dosage of these drugs. The objective of the present study was to investigate population SMA practices, knowledge and sociodemographic factors associated with SMA in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study adopted a cross-sectional methodology and data collection was performed through an anonymous, structured and pilot-tested questionnaire, which was interview-administered. Inferential statistics and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Out of 480 participants, 55.6% (n = 267) were male with a mean age of 37.1 ± 10.1 years; the total prevalence of SMA was 32.5%. Ciprofloxacin (42.9%) was the most commonly used antibiotic to treat coughs or colds, a runny nose, flu or sore throat, diarrhea or fevers, which were relevant reasons for SMA. Findings from multivariate logistic regression showed that predictors of SMA were: male gender (95%CI: 0.383–1.005), age (95%CI: 0.317–0.953) and highest level of education (95%CI: 0.961–0.649). Despite reasonable access to healthcare facilities, people are still obtaining antibiotics without prescription, bypassing diagnostic and consultative healthcare services. Thus, the government must implement strict healthcare policies to restrict the sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, while at the same time, targeted public awareness campaigns about the proper use of antibiotics are also required

Malaysian pharmacy students’ perspectives on the virtual objective structured clinical examination during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Purpose: This study investigated pharmacy students’ perceptions of various aspects of virtual objective structured clinical examinations (vOSCEs) conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved third- and fourth-year pharmacy students at the International Islamic University Malaysia. A validated self-administered questionnaire was distributed to students who had taken a vOSCE a week before. Results: Out of the 253 students who were approached, 231 (91.3%) completed the questionnaire. More than 75% of the participants agreed that the instructions and preparations were clear and helpful in familiarizing them with the vOSCE flow. It was found that 53.2% of the respondents were satisfied with the flow and conduct of the vOSCE. However, only approximately one-third of the respondents believed that the tasks provided in the vOSCE were more convenient, less stressful, and easier to perform than those in the conventional OSCE. Furthermore, 49.7% of the students favored not having a vOSCE in the future when conducting a conventional OSCE becomes feasible again. Internet connection was reported as a problem hindering the performance of the vOSCE by 51.9% of the participants. Students who were interested in clinical pharmacy courses were more satisfied than other students with the preparation and operation of the vOSCE, the faculty support, and the allocated time. Conclusion: Students were satisfied with the organization and operation of the vOSCE. However, they still preferred the conventional OSCE over the vOSCE. These findings might indicate a further need to expose students to telehealthcare models