Understanding internet addiction and its associated factors among children and adolescents: a review of literature

Internet Addiction (IA) is becoming increasingly recognized as a serious public health issue, particularly for children and adolescents. This review article discussed the complexity of IA diagnostic criteria and IA-related risk factors from a public health perspective with the intention of fostering a better understanding of IA in adolescents and children. The entire discussion pointed out how the epidemiological triad of disease framework helps to explain the IA associated factors among adolescents. This framework emphasises the agent (Internet characteristics and its content), host (e.g., self-personality, comorbidity, psychological status, inter- and intrapersonal relationship), and environment as extrinsic factors (i.e., physical pollution, socioeconomic status, availability, and accessibility of the Internet) that facilitate interaction between the agent and the host. Evaluation of all three components and their association with IA is essential as it allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how the issues arise, which can be useful in developing future effective public health measures for IA

Environmental factors related to quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review

Concerns about the quality of life (QoL) of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder have been raised by previous study. Policy decision-makers and healthcare professionals can be better informed about the environmental factors associated with parental QoL, which will enhance outcomes for both parents and children. The objective of this review is to perform a comprehensive review that assesses the environmental relevant factors associated with quality of life (QoL) of parents of ASD children (under 18 years old). To identify the environmental factors associated with parental QoL, a scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley original and enhanced framework. Three electronic database (PubMed, Scopus & WOS) and reference list checks were used in the search. Social support, family support, residential condition, and access to services were all factors linked to the parental quality of life in this group. The review highlighted environmental factors as one of the variables that have an association with parental QoL. The results of this analysis also highlighted potential areas of support that have implications on future policy and practices

The influence of work environmental risk factors on fatigue in the construction industry: a review of literature

The construction workers are performing manual tasks in harsh conditions. Various environmental risk factors could have significant influence on work fatigue. This review article discussed the environmental causal factors which involved in work fatigue development in the occupational health perspective, with the aim in enhancing the body of knowledge specifically in the construction industry so that mitigation measures and interventions can be formulated and implemented for fatigue prevention and productivity enhancement. Data derived from a total of 11 relevant articles identified climatic heat, vibration and elevation change as the major risk factors that associated with work fatigue. The mechanism of the environmental factors’ influences on muscle, mental and visual fatigue were understood, pointedly the underlying physiological alteration. Additionally, appropriate preventive measures in accordance to the OSHA guides including work-break cycles, work management, cool-down arrangements with drinking water were discussed. The limitation of existing OSH requirements on work limits at heat exposure was recognized, including the lack of consideration on personal characteristics therefore might inaccurately estimate the personal heat tolerance time. The proper understanding of the environmental stressors and its impact on workers production and safety performance may help construction organisations and regulatory body to develop strategies for workers protection and fatigue-related accidents prevention

Environmental factors of commuting accidents among firefighter drivers in Peninsular Malaysia: a case study

Commuting accidents (CAs) caused significant detrimental impacts on the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (FRDM). Therefore, this study aims to identify factors of CA by mainly focusing on environmental factors. The qualitative data was obtained from FRDM accident investigation reports from five states (Kedah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Johor) between 2017-2021. The data were analysed using content analysis. Four environmental factors that contribute to CA were identified. The factors were environmental conditions (rainfall, strong wind, light glare, and insufficient lighting), time (twilight and night time), road physical conditions (hilly road, curvy, steep, and narrow road, weak manhole cover, soft ground, wet and slippery road), and road environment (traffic congestion and sudden animal crossing). These findings provide environment-related hazards input for risk assessment and management of CA in FRDM, as well as valuable information for future research. Therefore, it has the potential to improve road safety for firefighters, the general public, and animals

Prevalence of abnormal urinary cadmium and risk of albuminuria as a primary bioindicator for kidney problems among a healthy population

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease is increasing globally, ranking 27th as the cause of death in the 1990s, rising to 18th in 2010 and 10th in 2019. Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension have been identified as the common contributing factors, while there is also evidence linking environmental pollutants, especially cadmium, to kidney disease. This study aimed at investigating the level of urinary cadmium and its relationship to albuminuria as an early indicator of kidney problems in the Kepong community. Respondents were surveyed as part of several health-related programs organized by the Kepong District Health Office involving local communities in and around the district from April 2019 to December 2019. Urinalysis of two urine samples was carried out using a Mission reagent strip and an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) test to detect the presence and level of urinary cadmium. A total of 240 respondents were enrolled from April 2019 to December 2019. Urinalysis of two urine samples was carried out using a Mission reagent strip and an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) test to detect the level of urinary cadmium. The respondents’ average age was 41-year-old (±13.23). Among them, 49.6% were male, 85.0% Malay, 5.8% Chinese and 8.3% Indian. 55.0% had background of tertiary, 39.6% secondary and 5.4% primary level of education. 52.1% were categorized in B40, 34.6% in M40 and 13.3% in T20 based on monthly household income category. 26.7% were hypertensive, 6.7% diabetic, 4.2% had dyslipidemia, 51.7% had urinary cadmium above the alert level, and 27.1% had albuminuria. Discussion. Risk factors for albuminuria that have been identified are age with adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.53 (1.41–8.83; p < 0.05), highest educational level with AOR 2.18 (1.14–4.17; p < 0.05), diabetes with AOR 3.36 (1.07–10.52; p < 0.05), and urinary cadmium with AOR 4.72 (2.33–9.59; p < 0.001), with future screening programs placing greater attention to those at risk and further research is required to determine the cause of exposure to cadmium

The Chicago Lead Knowledge Test-Malay Version: a cultural and linguistic adaptation for the Malaysian population

Knowledge about exposure to lead among children is still not good among parents in Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to translate the English version of the original Chicago Lead Knowledge Test (CLKT) into the Malay (local) language systematically and to suit the background culture and language of this country. The steps of systematic translation followed the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcome Research (ISPOR) standard which consists of preparation, forward translation, reconciliation, backward translation, backward translation review, harmonisation, cognitive debriefing, review of cognitive debriefing and finalisation, proofreading, and final report. The total number of items remained at 24, where one item was deleted, one item was revised, and one item was added into the instrument. All four themes; general knowledge, exposure, prevention and nutrition in this questionnaire were maintained. The response scale, answer scheme, and the scoring system remained the same. Most of the English items had direct translation to Malay language except for items 5, 7, 12, 20 and 22. The mean (+SD) and interquartile range (IQR) for total knowledge score was 9.50 + 2.45 marks and 5 marks, respectively. The lowest score was 4 marks and the highest score was 13 marks. This was be the first known study to utilise the systematic and standardised approaches in the cross-cultural translation and adaptation of the CLKT in Malaysia. The CLKT’s cultural and linguistic adaptation in Malaysia may contribute to other current research particularly on lead exposure among children

Urinary aluminium and its association with autism spectrum disorder in urban preschool children in Malaysia

Background The presence of aluminium (Al) in the human body may impact brain neurodevelopment and function, and it is thought to contribute to autism spectrum disease (ASD). The main objective of this study was to assess the association between urinary Al and the development of ASD among Malaysian preschool children in the urban city of Kuala Lumpur. Method This was an unmatched case–control study in which children with ASD were recruited from an autism early intervention center and typically developed (TD) children were recruited from government-run nurseries and preschools. Urine samples were collected at home, assembled temporarily at study locations, and transported to the laboratory within 24 h. The Al concentration in the children’s urine samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Result A total of 155 preschool children; 81 ASD children and 74 TD children, aged 3 to 6 years, were enlisted in the study. This study demonstrated that ASD children had significantly higher urinary Al levels than TD children (median (interquartile range (IQR): 2.89 (6.77) µg/dL versus 0.96 (2.95) µg/dL) (p 1, p < 0.05). Conclusion A higher urine Al level was discovered to be a significant risk factor for ASD among preschool children in the urban area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Association between lung function impairment with urinary heavy metals in a community in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Lung function status can be directly or indirectly affected by exposure to pollutants in the environment. Urinary heavy metals may be an indirect indicator of lung function impairment that leads to various diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to explore the prevalence of lung function impairment as well as its association with urinary heavy metal levels and other influencing factors among the community in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Urinary sampling was done during various community events in the housing areas of Klang Valley between March and October 2019. Only respondents who consented would undergo a lung function test. Urine samples were obtained and sent for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis for heavy metal cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) concentration. Of the 200 recruited respondents, 52% were male and their ages ranged from 18 years old to 74 years old with a mean age of 38.4 ± 14.05 years. Urinary samples show high urinary Cd level in 12% of the respondents (n = 24) whereas none recorded a high urinary Pb level. There was a positive correlation between the levels of urinary Cd and urinary Pb (r = 0.303; p = 0.001). Furthermore, a negative correlation was detected between urinary Cd level and forced vital capacity (FVC) (r =  − 0.202, p = 0.004), force expiratory volume at the first second (FEV1) (r =  − 0.225, p = 0.001), and also force expiratory flow between 25–75% of FVC (FEF 25–75%) (r =  − 0.187, p = 0.008). However, urinary Pb did not show any correlation with lung function parameters. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that urinary Cd had a significant negative effect on FVC (p = 0.025) and FEV1 (p = 0.004) based on the predicted value. Additionally, other factors such as education level (p = 0.013) also influenced lung function. However, no interaction was detected between heavy metals or other factors. In short, there was a significant negative linear relationship between urinary Cd and lung function, whereas urinary Pb was not associated with lung function. Beside acting as a biomarker for cadmium exposure level, urinary Cd may also be applied as indirect biomarker for asymptomatic chronic lung function deterioration among the healthy population

Meta-Analysis of the Association between Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and Colorectal Cancer

The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) was extensively used to examine the inflammatory potential of diet related to colorectal cancer (CRC). This meta-analysis aimed to update the evidence of the association between the DII and CRC across various culture-specific dietary patterns. Literature search was performed through online databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and EBSCOHost). Observational studies exploring the association between the DII and CRC, published between 2017 and 2021, were included. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were separately computed for 12 studies comparing the highest and lowest DII scores and for 3 studies that presented continuous DII scores. A high DII score was associated with a higher risk of CRC (RR:1.16; 95% CI, 1.05&ndash;1.27). In the subgroup analysis, significant associations were seen in cohort design (RR: 1.24; 95% CI, 1.06&ndash;1.44), those lasting for 10 years or longer (RR: 2.95; 95% CI, 2.47&ndash;3.52), and in adjustment factor for physical activity (RR: 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07&ndash;1.20). An increase of one point in the DII score elevates the risk of CRC by 1.34 (95% CI: 1.15&ndash;1.55) times. The findings call for standardized measurement of the inflammatory potential of diet in future studies to enable the establishment of global guidelines for CRC prevention

Assessing Factors Associated with Non-Fatal Injuries from Road Traffic Accidents among Malaysian Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the PURE Malaysia Study

Non-fatal injuries (NFIs) due to road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a public health problem worldwide that significantly impacts the population morbidity and healthcare costs. As the demands for vehicles in developing countries, such as Malaysia, is increasing annually, the present study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with NFIs due to RTAs among Malaysia&rsquo;s adult population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 15,321 participants from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study conducted in Malaysia. Participants reported whether they had experienced an NFI that limited their normal activities within the past 12 months. Data on risk factors for NFIs were elicited. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to identify the associated factors. Results: Overall, 863 participants (5.6% of 15,321) reported at least 1 NFI in the past 12 months, with 303 caused by RTAs (35.1%), 270 caused by falls (31.3%) and 290 attributed to other causes (33.6%). The factors associated with higher odds of sustaining an NFI due to an RTA were being male (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 2.08; 95% CI 1.33&ndash;3.26), having a primary (2.52; 1.40&ndash;4.55) or secondary (2.64; 1.55&ndash;4.49) level of education, being overweight to obese (1.40; 1.01&ndash;1.94), being currently employed (2.03; 1.31&ndash;3.13) and not practicing a noon nap/siesta (1.38; 1.01&ndash;1.89). Conclusions: The occurrence of NFIs due to RTAs is highly preventable with strategic planning aimed at reducing the risk of RTAs among the Malaysian population. Interventions focusing on protecting road users, especially those who drive two-wheelers, with proactive road safety awareness and literacy campaigns, combined with strict enforcement of the existing traffic laws and behavioural modifications, may reduce the risk of NFIs following RTAs