Novel method to estimate the length of palmaris longus tendon

Palmaris longus is tendon of choice in reconstructive, plastic and cosmetic surgeries. Thus, a suitable length is required and it would be more convenient if the length of the tendon of the palmaris longus could be estimated before harvesting. This study was carried out to determine the relationship between the length and width of the palmaris longus tendon and the length of forearm and hand, the relationship between the length and the width of the palmaris longus tendon and wrist width and wrist circumference, as well as to identify a technique to estimate the length of the tendinous part of palmaris longus before harvesting it. A standardized proforma was used to collect the data of each of the 31 cadavers upper limbs. These data were analysed using SPSS software version 17. It is important to note that p value less than 0.05 is considered as statistically significant in this study. Out of the 31 upper limbs, palmaris longus tendon was absent in 3 (9.68%). Meanwhile, the mean length and width of the palmaris longus tendon was found to be 16.20 cm and 0.48 cm, respectively. The mean length of the forearm and hand was 26.6 cm and 21.2 cm, respectively. The mean width of the wrist and wrist circumference was 8.2 cm and 14.82 cm, respectively. These indicate a significant and moderate relationship between the length of palmaris longus tendon and the length of forearm (r = 0.49, r2=0.24, p < 0.01). In addition, there was also a significant relationship between the length of palmaris longus tendon and the length of hand (r = 0.56, p < 0.01). This paper presents the technique used to estimate the length and width of the tendinous part of palmaris longus before harvesting. The length of palmaris longus can be estimated pre-operatively by measuring the length of the hand by using the technique explained in this paper

Enhancing diabetic care in the community in Malaysia: need for a paradigm shift

Efforts towards improving the management of diabetes mellitus has grown and progressed. Clinical studies and new drug discoveries have led to better treatment for patients. Most healthcare budgets devote an enormous amount of expenditure for the treatment of diabetes. However, despite all these efforts, the disease continues to grow and has been predicted to be unmanageable in the near future. Thus, there is a dire need to relook the current approaches and policies. “Prevention is better than cure” is definitely the precise solution to this catastrophe. A paradigm shift in strategies for the prevention of diabetes and treatment of its risk factors is an imperative

A community-based study on the prevalence and factors affecting smoking in Terengganu state, Malaysia, 2004

Introduction: It is estimated that 4.9 million people worldwide died in 2000 as a result of their addiction to nicotine, about half of them prematurely. This huge death toll is rising rapidly, especially in low and middle income countries where most of the world’s 1.2 billion tobacco users live. Objectives: This study aimed to determine (i) the prevalence of smoking among the community aged 18 and above in Terengganu state, and (ii) the relationship between smoking and age, sex, educational level, family and peer influence. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used in this study and data was collected using a standardised pre-tested structured questionnaire. Results: The overall mean age of the respondents was 38.9 (95% CI= 37.7 – 40.2) years. The majority of the respondents were Malays (99.1%). Of the 653 respondents, 32.2% and 23.6% were ever and current smokers respectively. Of this, 211 ever smokers, 199 (94.3%) were males and only 12 (5.7%) were females. The prevalence of ever and current smokers for males was 73.2% and 53.7% respectively compared to the females (3.1% and 2.1% respectively). There was a significant association between smoking status and sex (p<0.001). The prevalence of ever smokers was lowest amongst respondents with college or university educational level. However, for current smokers, those with college or university education had the highest prevalence. The overall mean initiation age of ever smokers was 19.7 years (95% CI = 18.8 – 20.7). The mean initiation age for the males (19. 1 years) was significantly lower compared to 29.8 years for the females (p<0.001). The mean duration of smoking for the current smokers was 21.6 (95% CI= 19.1 – 24) years. There was also no significant difference in the mean duration of current smoking for males compared to the females (p = 0.5). The majority (93.4%) of the ever smokers started either because their friends asked them to try or they were trying for fun. The quit ratio was 27%. Conclusion : The prevalence of ever and current smokers in males is very high (73.2% and 53.7% respectively) compared with the females (3.1% and 2.1% respectively). The mean initiation age for the males (19. 1 years) was significantly lower compared to 29.8 years for the females (p<0.001)

A population-based study on the prevalence and factors associated with obesity in Selangor

Objective: This study was conducted to determine prevalence and factors associated with obesity in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all districts of Selangor State. All individuals, 15 years and above in the selected households, were included. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Weight was recorded using TANITA model HD-309 and height was measured using SECA Body meter Model 208. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 8.2 taking into account the complex survey design. Results: The overall mean age of the 2219 respondents was 36.6(95% CI 35.7 – 37.6) years. There was no significant difference in the mean age of the males and females (p=0.697). The majority of the respondents were Malays (52.9%), followed by Chinese (30.9%), Indians (15.4%) and other races (0.9%). The overall mean BMI was 24.1 kg/m2 (95% CI=23.8- 24.4). The overall prevalence of obesity was 12.2% (95% CI 10.6%, 14.0%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity in the males compared to females (p>0.05). The prevalence of obesity increased with age up to the ages of 40-59 years and then decreased after 60 years. The highest prevalence of obesity was in the 40-59 years age groups in both sexes. The overall prevalence of obesity was significantly higher amongst the Malays (15.2%) compared to the Indians (11.6%) and Chinese (7.3%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only age and ethnicity were associated with obesity. Sex and educational level were not associated with obesity

A national study on the prevalence and factors associated with smoking amongst Malaysians aged 18 years and above

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Malaysia with the objectives of determining the prevalence of smoking in Malaysia, reasons for starting to smoke, age first started to smoke, duration of smoking and to determine the relationship between smoking and age, sex, race, education level, peer influence and parental smoking status. Methods: All residents aged 18 years and above from selected households were included in this study. A standardised pre-tested structured questionnaire was used in this study. Results: The results showed that the overall mean age of the 17, 246 respondents was 38.8 (95% CI= 38.5 - 39.2) years with a range of 18 - 100 years. The majority were Malays (55.5%) followed by Chinese (21.2%) and Indians (11.2%). The age, sex and ethnicity adjusted prevalence of ever and current smokers were 32.0% and 24.9% respectively. The prevalence of ever and current smokers for males was 59.3% and 47.2% respectively. For the females, the prevalence of ever and CUlTentsmokers was 4.8% and 2.7% respectively. The highest ethnicity adjusted prevalence of current smokers was in Malays (28.9%), followed by the Chinese (18.7%). The lowest prevalence was amongst the Indians (16.8%). The highest prevalence of current smokers was found in Kelantan (30.2%), Terengganu (29.7%), Pahang (28.7%) and Kedah (26.9%); the lowest prevalence was in Kuala Lumpur, Federal Teritory (20.4%). The overall mean initiation age of current smokers was 19.2 years (95% CI = 19.1, 19.4 years). The mean initiation age of male current smokers was significantly lower (18.9 years) compared to female current smokers (24.1 years). The mean duration of smoking amongst the current smokers was 18.6 years. Males smoked significantly more cigarettes than the females ( p < 0.00 I). D isc u ssio n : Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking was significantly associated with age, sex, ethnicity, educational level and peer and family influence

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Malaysia: A national study of 16,440 subjects.

Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in all states of Malaysia to determine the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling design with proportional allocation was used. Methods: Trained nurses obtained two blood pressure measurements from each subject. Hypertension was defined as mean systolic blood pressure 4140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure490 mmHg, or a self-reported diagnosis of hypertension and taking antihypertensive medication. All data were analysed using Stata 9.2 software and took the complex survey design into account. A two-sided P-value of o0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension for subjects aged X15 years was 27.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 26.9–28.8). The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in males (29.6%, 95% CI 28.3–31.0) compared with females (26.0%, 95% CI 25.0–27.1). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the odds of having hypertension increased with increasing age, in males, in subjects with a family history of hypertension, with increasing body mass index, in non-smokers and with decreasing levels of education. Only 34.6% of the subjects with hypertension were aware of their hypertensive status, and 32.4 were taking antihypertensive medication. Amongst the latter group, only 26.8% had their blood pressure under control. The prevalence of hypertension amongst those aged X30 years has increased from 32.9% in 1996 to 40.5% in 2004. Conclusion: In Malaysia, the prevalence of hypertension is high, but levels of awareness, treatment and control are low. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive integrated population-based intervention programme to ameliorate the growing problem of hypertension in Malaysians

Prevalence of job stress and its associated factors among Universiti Putra Malaysia staff

Stress in the work place is a global major risk factor to worker’s health, which triggers the workers to be poorly motivated and less productive. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of job stress and its associated factors among Universiti Putra Malaysia staff. Methods: This is a cross sectional study involving 511 academic and non-academic staff of Universiti Putra Malaysia in Serdang. Probability proportionate to size was used for calculating the required sample size. Results: The overall prevalence of stress was 21.7% (21.0% among male and 23.0% among female). The variables found to be significantly associated with stress were: Job demand, coworker support, depression, anxiety, focus and venting of emotion and self-blame (p<0.05). The findings revealed that UPM staffs are exposed to a range of specific stressors such as work stressor: job demand, lack of social support such as co-worker support and supervisor support, psychological stressors such as depression and anxiety, coping such as focus and venting of emotion and self-blame. Work stressor such as job demand was the main predictor of stress (p value = 0.001). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of job stress was 21.7%. The predictors job stress were job demand, lack of support from co-worker and supervisor, depression, anxiety and use of avoidance focused coping

Knowledge, attitude and practice related to HIV/AIDS among students in a local university (2007)

Introduction: HIV/AIDS has emerged as a threat causing significant morbidity and mortality in human societies. The aims of this study was to determine knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and factors associated with HIV/AIDS amongs students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in UPM. A two-stage proportionate to size random sampling technique was used. A standardized pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were analysed using SPSS. Results: The respond rate was 92.3%. The majority (57.3%) of the students were female. The overall mean age of the respondents was 22.5 years (95% CI 22.27-22.70) ranging from 18 years to 52 years. The results show that 91% of the respondents did not know that HIV virus can be killed by bleach; 93.9% stated that pregnant women with HIV virus can give the virus to her unborn baby; 90.2% believed a woman can get HIV if she has unprotected sex with a man; and 93.5% considered that having sex with more than one partner can increase a person’s chance of being infected with HIV virus. The majority (53%) were not willing to care for an HIV infected person in their own house. Only 19.5% of all the students claimed that they will inform their partners or family if diagnosed positive for HIV infection. The majority (93%) approved screening for HIV as a prerequisite for marriage. Only 2.2% of the respondents had multiple sexual partners and 5.4% of the respondents have had sexual intercourse before marriage. About 82.3% of the respondents believed in the used of condom as a means to prevent transmission of HIV. However, of those who were experiencing sexual intercourse with an unmarried partner, only 29.8% used condoms. Conclusion: The level of knowledge related to HIV/AIDS was not satisfactory. It is recommended that a peer educational programme on HIV/AIDS prevention be implemented

Prevalence of burnout and its associated factors among faculty academicians

Mental health is a growing concern in the field of occupational health globally due to its social, health, and economic implications on the individual and the community at large. As universities in Malaysia are advancing towards becoming world-class research universities, academicians are now faced with more pressures, making them more vulnerable to burnout. A cross sectional study was conducted among 194 randomly sampled academicians from a faculty of a public university. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the sociodemographic characteristics, occupational characteristics and burnout. Analysis was done using SPSS version 21. The response rate was 87.1%. The overall prevalence of burnout was 10.7% with significant associations between gender (χ2 = 4.61; p = 0.03), teaching experience (χ2 = 0.83; p = 0.02), job satisfaction (χ2 = 11.33; p = 0.001). Female academicians have a higher prevalence of burnout (14.3%). Academicians who have fewer years of teaching experience (¬ 6 years) and those with low job satisfaction scores reported a higher prevalence of burnout (16.8% and 28.6%, respectively). As for prediction analysis, females were 4 times more likely to experience burnout compared to males (aOR = 4.53; 95%CI 0.95-21.72) and those with teaching experience of less than 6 years were also four times more likely to experience burnout (aOR = 4.14; 95%CI 1.21–14.19). The odd of experiencing burnout among those who were dissatisfied with their job was seven times more than among academicians who were satisfied with their jobs (aOR = 6.72; 95%CI 2.15–21.04). Burnout was found to be prevalent among academician. Being a female academician, with fewer years of teaching experience and low job satisfaction were among the factors that have significant associations with burnout. Therefore, these groups should be targeted by the university administration to find mechanisms to reduce the prevalence of burnout which will eventually contribute to the quality of teaching and high job commitment and pave way for the institution towards a world-class university

Major dietary patterns and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics and obesity among adolescents in Petaling District, Malaysia

Dietary pattern analysis has emerged as important instruments to identify modifiable dietary risk factors for non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the major dietary patterns among adolescents in Petaling District, Selangor and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics and obesity. An analytic cross- sectional study design was conducted in selected secondary schools in Petaling District. Sampling with probability proportionate to size was used and five schools were selected. Self-administered semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used for data collection. Weight was measured with a digital bathroom scale (TANITA model) and height was measured using SECA body meter. Principal component factor analysis using varimax orthogonal transformation was used to identify the dietary patterns. Chi square was used to test for associations of dietary patterns with socio-demographic characteristics and obesity. Three major dietary patterns were identified: firstly, fruits and vegetables; secondly, sugar and fat and finally, meat and chicken which explained for 12.7%, 11.6% and 10.7% variation in food intake, respectively. There were significant associations between ethnicity, religion, family income, educational level of parents and the dietary patterns. However, there was no significant association between obesity and the dietary patterns. It may be more effective to describe a healthy diet using results of dietary pattern analysis in public health intervention, rather than describing single food items or nutrients. It is recommended that nutrition education programmes should be implemented in schools so as to prevent the development of obesity in the non-obese