A review of the Islamic approach in public health practices

Public Health’s aspiration has always been to provide a comprehensive system in which the whole population, not merely individuals, can be healthy. Sadly, religion particularly Islam, is rarely associated with Public Health in this modern era, perhaps because people are complacent and preoccupied with worldly knowledge. Islam considers health as a basic human right and much success in Public Health history and activities have actually been linked to some of the Islamic approaches. Hand washing procedures and encouragement of breastfeeding are examples of Islamic basic practices. The incorporation of these measures into public health practices has greatly contributed to the health of the population and increased life expectancy. However literature on the relation between Islam and Public Health is scarce and one of the reasons is probably because those Islamic references were written in the Arabic language, which many do not understand. Therefore the aim of this article is to share some of the evidence of Islamic practices based on the Qur’an and Sunnah in various aspects such as knowledge, practical prevention and health care which played a key role and pioneer in the field of Public Health

Economic impact of a vaccine preventable disease: a scoping review on tuberculosis

Using pulmonary tuberculosis (pTB) as an example of a vaccine-preventable disease (VPD), we aimed to gather evidence on the economic impact of treating a case or managing an outbreak of a VPD. A scoping review was con-ducted. Online databases (MEDLINE and Google Scholar) were used to collate published studies from the year 2015 to 2019 on the management cost of one case or an outbreak of pTB. Keywords used were cost, treatment, outbreak, pulmonary tuberculosis, tuberculosis, economic, economic evaluation. A total of 29 studies were analysed. The costs of pTB treatment for individual patient were higher in high-income countries compared to middle-income and low-income countries. A case of pTB can result in household catastrophic health expenditure; while an outbreak can overwhelm the health system’s capacity, and disrupts the economy of a country. Therefore, accessibility of vaccines especially in low-income countries must be ensured. Also, vaccine-hesitant individuals must reconsider their stance on vaccination

Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA) among female academicians in Universiti Putra Malaysia

Background: Leisure time is an important domain in life regardless of gender, social class and age. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern LTPA (Leisure Time Physical Activity) among female academicians in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female academicians in UPM, from December 2014 to March 2015. Respondents were randomly chosen by simple random sampling using IBM-SPSS version 22 software. A validated and reliable questionnaire was used for data collection. It consisted of five sections involving socio-demographic factors, time constraints (home and work place), physical activity, accessibility to leisure-related facilities (home and work place) and health status. Descriptive analysis, t-test, correlation and multivariate linear regression were employed to determine the predictors using enter method. The data was analysed using SPSS version 22.0 software. Result: A total of 654 respondents participated in the study yielding a response rate of 75%. The top five (5) physical activities with the highest level of involvement were evening walking 0.90±1.25; jogging 0.48±0.96, playing golf 0.14 ±0.52 and swimming 0.31±0.71. While, the five (5) least common physical activities reported were yoga 0.08±0.40, dancing zumba 0.18±0.57, aerobics 0.14±0.48, playing tennis 0.15±0.48 and cycling 0.21±0.55. There was a significant association between leisure in physical activity with time constraints at home (t=5.023, p<=0.001), time constraints at work place (t=-3.199, p<=0.001), health status (t=-6.363, p<=0.001) and accessibility to leisure- related facilities at home (t=-4.348, p<=0.001). No association was shown between leisure in physical activity and accessibility to leisure-related facilities at work place (t=0,947, p=0.344). Multiple Linear Regression analysis showed the predictors of physical activity were age ((B= -0.107, p<=0.001), facility at home (B=-1.030, p=0.002) and health status (B=-1.550, p<=0.001). Conclusion: The findings from this study showed that, female academicians were physically inactive; however several factors influenced this physical inactiveness

Applying the SEIR model in forecasting the COVID-19 trend in Malaysia: a preliminary study

On March 18, 2020 the Malaysian government implemented a 14-day Movement Control Order (MCO) as part of the mitigation plan in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic in the country. The MCO aims to limit the contact rates among the population and hence prevent the surge of infected individuals. However, the trend of the epidemic before and after the MCO was not apparent. By applying the Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious and Removed (SEIR) mathematical model, we aimed to forecast the trend of COVID-19 epidemic in Malaysia using data from March 17 to 27, 2020. Based on several predetermined assumptions, the results of the analyses showed that after the implementation of the 14-day MCO from March 18 to 31, 2020, it is forecasted that the epidemic in Malaysia will peak approximately in the end of April 2020 and will subside by about the first week of July 2020. The MCO will “flatten the epidemic curve” but will prolong the duration of the epidemic. Decision to extend the duration of the MCO should depend on the consideration of socioeconomic factors as well

Influence of an intervention program promoting voluntary fasting practices and its perceived barriers among overweight or obese Muslim women working in the public sector, Malaysia

Introduction: This article aims to describe the effect of an intervention to promote the practice of voluntary Islamic fasting and its barriers among a group of overweight and obese Muslim women working in the public sector in Malaysia. Materials and methods: In this quasi-experimental study, an intervention to encourage voluntary fasting was delivered in a half day seminar, supported by relevant booklets prepared. A self-administered questionnaire was used to capture data on voluntary fasting practices and its perceived barriers before and four months after the intervention. Data was analysed using Mc Nemar test to compare the proportion before and after the intervention. Significant level was set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 56 women were recruited. Their mean age was 36.65 years, most were married, had formal education up to secondary level and median income of RM 3000 per month. At baseline, 60.7% of them have practiced voluntary fasting. After intervention, the number of participants who practices voluntary fasting increased with a significant increase in three types of voluntary fasting (i.e. Mondays only, Thursdays only and 6 days in Shawal). The highest barrier to practice voluntary fasting was having no motivation to do so, followed by work commitment, health problems and family commitment. Discussion and Conclusion: Most of the respondents could practice voluntary fasting regularly if motivated to do so and backed by social support both at work and at home

Leadership in disaster management: theory versus reality

Leaders should be competent in managing disaster situations to minimize the damage of the events. However, when disaster strikes these leadership competencies may not always come into play. This paper aims to identify the incongruence between what leaders should do and what leaders do when managing real disasters and what can be learned from it. This paper reviews the Aceh Earthquake and Tsunami disaster in 2004 and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster in 2011, as case studies. Published and grey literatures relating to these events were searched from online sources. Two major mismatches between leadership theory and reality were noted: effective communication and ability to co-ordinate resources at all levels. To improve leadership in disaster management, mitigation measures, preparedness and skills in crisis communication must be top-notch, communication disruption must be overcomed as soon as possible; and all entities involved in disaster management must know their roles

Socioeconomic factors associate with smoking among rural adult population in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Background: Smoking is the single most important cause of death. The use of tobacco in cigarettes among smokers is the leading cause of premature mortality and morbidity. Objective: The aim of the study is to determine socioeconomic factors associated with smoking among rural adult population in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out from 1,136 respondents by using a questionnaire which was pre-tested, and face to face interview was conducted. The questionnaire was divided into 5 separate sections which were socio-demographics characteristics, tobacco use patterns, peers and family influences, knowledge related to smoking and perception on anti-smoking programme. A multistage random sampling method was used to obtain the sample size. The target population was from District of Jempol, a rural District in state of Negeri Sembilan. Result: Out of 1,136 eligible respondents, a total of 998 respondents have participated in this study which made the response rate 87.85 percent. The findings showed that 45.3% of the respondents were smoker. The age range of respondents was between 45 and 64 years old. 51.8% are male, married (64.6%), and with education level of secondary school (47.9%) and majority of them were Malay (95.6%) and Muslim (95.9%). Main occupation is lorry drivers (41.3%), and 96.1% of the respondents with income between RM1000-1999 (96.1%).The findings showed that the followings are important factors influencing smoking behavior among respondents: friend influence (β= 4.347, P-value= 0.001), employment status (β= 3.574, P-value= 0.001), family member (β= 2.123, P-value= 0.001), income (β= 2.066, P-value= 0.011), advertisement (β= 1.452, P-value= 0.001), marital status (β= 1.050, P-value= 0.001), education level (β= -0.549, P-value= 0.036) and knowledge (β= -2.759, P-value= 0.001).Social factors are more important than economic factors. Conclusion: The study concluded that both social and economics factor play important role influencing respondents smoking behavior and social factors play more important role

Practices regarding secondhand smoking among Malay housewives in rural community in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan

Introduction: Secondhand smoking occurs in public and private spaces and it causes serious adverse health effects. The initiatives to establish smoke free policies in private spaces are more challenging as it is an area of autonomy. Thus, this study aims determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of a group of housewives in a Malay community who were secondhand smokers in the privacy of their own homes and their association with these women’s socio demographic profiles. Methods: A total of 114 housewives who lived with at least one smoker participated in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the characteristics of the respondents (age, level of education and income), their knowledge, attitude and practices towards secondhand smoking and also information about their secondhand smoking. Their practices were then categorized into ‘appropriate’ and ‘not appropriate’ practices. It was then tested for association with age, level of education, income, knowledge and attitude categories. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 42.12±11.13 years, 56.1% of them at least finished primary school and 90.4% had monthly household income of less than RM 2000. Exposure to secondhand smoking at home was 59.6%. Most were exposed to less than 10 cigarettes and less than 10 minutes per day (69.3% and 49.1%, respectively). A total 66.7% of the respondents had appropriate practice towards secondary smoking and this practice was significantly associated with the level of knowledge about secondary smoking (P=0.034). Conclusion: National efforts to suppress smoking in private spaces such as homes and cars need to be enhanced. As knowledge is significantly associated with appropriate practice towards secondary smoking, more efforts should be made to increase and disseminate knowledge about the harmful effects of secondhand smoking especially to second hand smokers

Comparison of time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting: a scoping review

Background: Research on the health benefits of fasting is growing; this includes time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting. Aims: This article aims to review and highlight the similarities and differences between time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting during Ramadan. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken to identify relevant articles that answered the research question: what are the similarities and differences in characteristics of time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting? MEDLINE/PubMed was searched using the terms: time-restricted feeding, and weight. Inclusion criteria were: original research and review articles; written in English; and published between the years 2000 and 2017. Results: A total of 25 articles that answered the research question were included in the review: 15 original research papers and 10 reviews. The findings suggest that Ramadan fasting is a form of time-restricted feeding in the contemporary context because of the period when eating is not allowed. The fasting duration reported in time-restricted feeding ranged from 4 to 24 hours, which is longer than that of Islamic fasting which is between 8 and 20 hours. Both time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting have been found to have positive health effects, including weight reduction. Conclusion: Time-restricted feeding and Islamic fasting have many similar characteristics and reported positive health effects

Acute drug reaction and non-compliance to anti-tuberculosis medications: a case study

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant re-emerging disease in Malaysia. TB treatment involves prolonged use of antibiotics, but adverse drug reaction and non-compliance to anti- tuberculosis drugs hamper the success of treatment. Case report: A 59 year old man with underlying diabetes and hyperlipidaemia presented with a four-day history of vomiting and diarrhoea. He was diagnosed with smear negative pulmonary TB three weeks earlier and was on TB medications. Apart from reduced air entry at both lung apices, the physical examination was normal. All blood results were normal except mild derangement of the renal profile and raised monocyte count. The patient had poor knowledge, insight and attitude towards his illness. Conclusion: We report a case of acute drug reaction and non-compliance to anti-TB, and the possible associated factors. Knowledge, insight and proper attitude are vital in ensuring the patient’s treatment compliance