Fall Risk Assessment and Effectiveness of Home Based Exercise on Balance and Functional Mobility among Malaysian Adult Aged 50 years and above

Falls prevention research and practice are in there infancy in developing countries such as Malaysia. This research evaluated falls and falls-risk factors among community-dwelling Malaysians aged >50 years. An important risk factor identified, with little previous research, was turning impairment. A randomized trial found improved balance/mobility outcomes for Malaysians aged >50 who had turning impairment. These outcomes provide useful local data to inform future falls prevention activity in Malaysia and other developing countries in Asia

Relationship between selected socio-demographic and health-related factors with intake of fruits and vegetables among the elderly in Malaysia

Food intake plays an important role in providing adequate nutrients. Several studies have indicated that diets relatively high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between sociodemographic and health-related variables with intake of fruits and vegetables among older persons aged 60 years and above in Malaysia. The subjects were a representative sample from 13 states and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. One older person within an available household in selected enumeration blocks was included in the study. Information on demographics, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle characteristics was obtained using a pre-tested questionnaire. The frequency per week of fruits and vegetables intake was obtained through a face-to-face interview. The sample consisted of 2,980 older persons (males = 47.9%; female = 52.1%). The mean age of respondents was 70.46 ± 7.2 years, the majority were Malays (58.3%), married (55.8%), with no formal education (44.5%), with an average monthly income of RM551.02. About 75.3% of the respondents were taking vegetables daily and 38.1% were taking fruits daily. By gender, 51.9% of women and 45.7% of men had daily intake of vegetables, while 50.4% of the women and 48.1% of men reported daily intake of fruits. In terms of health status and other lifestyle variables, 54.2% rated their health as “good”, 53.3% were inactive or sedentary and 17.2% were currently smoking. The results showed a significant association between intake of fruits with age (c2 = 7.077, df = 2, p = 0.029), ethnicity (c2 = 42.23, df = 4, p = 0.000), stratum (c2 = 15.126, df = 1, p = 0.000) and self-rated health (c2 = 16.31, df = 3, p = 0.001). On the other hand, only ethnicity (c2 = 11.352, df = 4, p = 0.023) and self-rated health (c2 = 16.16, df = 3, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with intake of vegetables. These findings indicate that there is a relationship between pattern of fruits and vegetables intake with selected demographic and health-related characteristics of the respondents. Therefore, appropriate nutrition intervention programs need to be formulated to encourage increased intake of fruits and vegetables among the elderly in Malaysia to promote optimal health and wellness

An ergonomic analysis of Malaysian elderly walking frame user posture

This study was to analyze walking frame user posture among the 15 participants of Malaysian elderly aged 60 and above in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. This study utilized two postural observations and a computer simulation of the elderly user using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) analysis. The results revealed that the majority of respondents show a slightly bent posture, bowed their heads and appears difficulty during the use walking frame, which requires further investigation and appropriate techniques in the way the walking frame is used. Some recommendations were also suggested in this study

Walking patterns

Balance is essential for mobility and performing activities of daily living. The ability to maintain balance during navigation in daily activities is a key component of successful ambulation. Gait and balance impairment have been consistently reported as among the strongest risk factors for falls among community dwelling seniors. Reduced coordination of postural control could lead to poor gait pattern and balance impairment among older people

Effectiveness of a community-based muscle strengthening exercise program to increase muscle strength among pre-frail older persons in Malaysia: a pilot study

Deterioration in muscle mass and muscle strength is common among the frail older persons, cause functional dependence and decrease in the quality of life. Therefore, the identification of cost-effective interventions to prevent or ameliorate frailty is crucially needed. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a Community-based Muscle Strengthening Exercise (COME) program to increase muscle strength among pre-frail older persons. This study was a quasi-experimental study. A total of 32 older persons aged 60 years and older with pre-frail symptoms were recruited from the community center. The COME was developed based on the Growing Stronger program and the Otago Home Exercise Program. COME was designed to strengthen all of the major muscle groups in the upper and lower extremities. The exercise program was conducted for 12 weeks and divided into 3 parts; (1) to strengthen the body slowly and gently, using only body weight, (2) to introduce dumbbells and ankle weights to increase strength and (3) to add various new ways to boost strength even more. Functional tests were measured before and after the intervention. The results revealed non-significant p-value for pre- and post-intervention comparison for all study outcomes. Observing the values of mean difference, the study intervention was shown to have slightly improved the time up and go (Mean difference = -0.25), and sit-to-stand duration (Mean difference = -0.41) as well as the handgrip strength (Mean difference = 0.68) among the participants. On the assessment of Cohen ES, all three improvements exhibited small effect sizes. Sit-to-stand duration was shown to have most benefited from the intervention with highest ES among the outcome variables (ES = 0.20). COME intervention program among pre-frail older persons showed favorable trend toward improvement of upper and lower extremities muscle strength. This study should be further tested in randomized control trial to confirm its effectiveness

Brain Eectrical Activity Mapping (BEAM) on trait anxiety among Malaysian Chinese children

Objective - Woefully, the early onset of anxiety disorders had affected children in different aspects throughout their developmental stages. In order to get rid of the increased prevalence rate among children, the biological attributed risk factors for anxiety should be given more concern. Particularly, this research intended to study the biological brain mechanism for trait anxiety among children. With brain electrical activity mapping, this research was aimed to study the relationship between the brain locations situated at the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe with trait anxiety. Subsequently, this research aimed to predict the associated brain locations for trait anxiety among anxious children. Methodology/Technique - A total of 212 Chinese children from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with high trait anxiety was recruited after the first phase of the screening phase through the administration of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-Trait Scale (STAIC-T). Recruited children then proceeded to the second phase of brain electrical activity brain mapping with a Quantitative Electroencephalogram (qEEG) brain mapping machine. Finding - Results showed that brain locations Fp1, Fp2, F7, F8, F3, F4, T3, and T4 are significantly correlated with trait anxiety while F8, Fp2, F4, and Fp1 are the significant predictors for trait anxiety among children during on task state. In short, the biological brain mechanism of brain locations played a role in forming the anxious trait the personality of children which resulted in reducing their resilience towards stress

Developing advanced appliances control system in toilet and bathroom for aged generation: FGD preliminary findings

When a person gets old, there are many changes that occur in the aspect of biomechanical features such as bones, joints and muscles which can affect their mobility and strength including reduction in vision and hearing abilities. Thus, this condition will expose them to risk of injuries and accidents. Based on previous studies, toilet and bathroom are identified as the common place where injuries and accidents occur involving older persons. Therefore, in order to create safe and suitable environment for older persons, modifications to products, systems and environments for their daily use should be taken into consideration. Environmental modifications and assistive technology (AT) can compensate for limitations in functional capabilities and thus promoting the well-being and independence of the elderly. In this study, the initial approach is through qualitative methods which was Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Information related to issues and problems, causing factors and suggestions for improvement will be used as an important indicator in the development of relevant systems in this study

Home based exercise to improve turning and mobility performance among community dwelling older adults: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Turning is a common activity for older people, and is one of the activities commonly associated with falls during walking. Falls that occur while walking and turning have also been associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in older people. Despite the importance of stability during turning, there has been little focus on identifying this impairment in at risk older people, or in evaluating interventions aiming to improve this outcome. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a 16 week tailored home based exercise program in older adults aged (50 years and above) who were identified as having unsteadiness during turning.Methods/Design: A single blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted, with assessors blind to group allocation. Study participants will be aged 50 years and above, living in the community and have been identified as having impaired turning ability [outside of age and gender normal limits on the Step Quick Turn (180 degree turn) task on the Neurocom® Balance Master with long plate]. After a comprehensive baseline assessment, those classified as having balance impairment while turning will be randomized to intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive a 16 week individualized balance and strength home exercise program, based on the Otago Exercise Program with additional exercises focused on improving turning ability. Intervention group will attend four visit to the assessment centre over 16 weeks period, for provision, monitoring, modification of the exercise and encourage ongoing participation. Participants in the control group will continue with their usual activities. All participants will be re-assessed on completion of the 16 week program. Primary outcome measures will be the Step Quick Turn Test and Timed-Up and Go test. Secondary outcomes will include other clinical measures of balance, psychological aspects of falls, incidence of falls and falls risk factors. Discussion: Results of this study will provide useful information for clinicians on the types of exercises to improve turning ability in older people with increased falls risk and the effectiveness of these exercises in improving outcomes

Anxiety and satisfaction toward online learning on academic engagement during Covid-19 outbreak among Malaysian undergraduates

This study aims to determine the relationship between anxiety and satisfaction towards online learning with student academic engagement during Covid-19 pandemic among local university students. A total of 203 students from four faculties in University Putra Malaysia, Serdang were involved in the study. Data were obtained using an online questionnaire form. Findings showed that anxiety and satisfaction toward online learning were significantly correlate with the academic engagement among students. Multiple regression analysis showed that two factors were found to have significantly predicted students' academic engagement namely state anxiety (? = 0.167, p <0.05), and response satisfaction toward online learning (? = 0.486 p <0.001). The model explained 34% of the variance in academic engagement among UPM students. Results of the present study revealed that access in satisfaction toward online learning is important in influencing the academic engagement of local UPM students. By understanding the aspects that have a high impact on local UPM students, it helps government agencies and higher education institutions to reduce mental health problems and online learning problems