Community Use Zone (CUZ) model and its outcome in Malaysia case study from Crocker Range Park, Sabah

The Sabah Parks has been experimenting with a new approach to forest governance, namely Community Use Zone (CUZ), in order to safeguard the forests from ongoing degradation while simultaneously providing opportunities for the affected communities to improve their living conditions and livelihoods. Despite the ongoing discourse to expand this approach, there is limited systematic study to understand the changes in governance as well as linking it to forest and livelihood outcomes. By conducting structured and semi-structured questionnaire interview to CUZ and non-CUZ community members as well as Crocker Range Park staffs, this study clarifies the changes in involvement of local people in rule making and implementation of diverse forest management activities and governance decisions as well as forest and livelihood outcomes from CUZ. The result showed that local people participation in rule making and implementation is enhanced after implementation of CUZ. While the forest outcome remains mixed, the CUZ has brought positive impact to the livelihood of the participants. CUZ also has positive externality to neighboring community in terms of their attitude towards the program

Prevalens ketidakselesaan Muskuloskeletal (msd discomfort) dalam Kalangan anggota polis trafik di Sabah

The job sector that is said to be related to the MSD problem is those who work as police officers. Studies on the prevalence rate of MSD are still not carried out in Malaysia, therefore the awareness of the effects and consequences of MSD is not well known. This study aims to examine the prevalence and gender differences in MSD among traffic police officers. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design through a survey method using a questionnaire. A total of 262 respondents participated in this study among traffic police officers and members who carry out traffic control duties. The MSD prevalence rate for traffic policemen in the last 6 months was 96.6% with 83.6% of male traffic policemen and 13% of female policemen. The study found no significant relationship (p >.05) between the MSD prevalence rate and gender. The prevalence level for pain in the body part is 26.3% (N=69) in the neck/shoulder part, 14.5% (N=38) in the hand/finger part, 16.8% (N=44) in the arm, 30.1% (N=79 ) in the mid to lower back and 29% (N=76) in the hips/back, calves/legs. Therefore, this study is expected to provide information on the MSD prevalence rate among traffic police members as a reference to improve the level of health in their work

Kesejahteraan subjektif ibu bapa kanak-kanak kurang upaya pembelajaran : pengaruh komitmen keagamaan, harapan terhadap anak, dan sokongan sosial

Past studies about parents raising children with disabilities have provided evidence that vary in terms of mental health, which eventually promotes further research focusing particularly on positive aspects such as subjective well-being. Based on positive psychology orientation, this study aims to identify the effects of religious commitment, hope for child, and social support on subjective well-being. A Quanti tative study using questionnaire was conducted on a total of 328 parents of children with learning disabilities. The instruments used including Religious Commitment Inventory-10, Parents' Hope for Their Child Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The data were then analyzed using Partial Least Squre Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Overall, the results showed Hope for child and social support significantly influence parent’s subjective well-being, whereas religious commitment only shows a significant effect on positive affect dimension. It can be concluded that religious commitment, hope for child, and social support as a potential predictor which enhance parent’s subjective well-being. More effort and systematic study are needed to understand and assist better parents of children with learning disabilities

Predictors of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Teachers: An Exploratory Investigation in Malaysia

Purpose: The present study aimed to examine the prevalence and gender differences in MSDs among teachers, as well as the interaction of associated predictor .In addition, another aim of the study was to investigate the contribution of these predictors, which have not been examined thoroughly particularly in Malaysia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was employed in this study. A questionnaire was used to measure physical factors, psychosocial factors, workload, work-life balance, general well-being, and MSDs levels among primary school teachers (N=460) from 10 primary schools in Kota Kinabalu. Findings: The prevalence of MSD in the past 6 months was 61.7% (95% CI: 57.4% – 65.9%). The present study findings also indicated that there were significant gender differences in MSDs between female and male teachers (t = 1.04, p< .05). Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine a range of predictors related to MSDs. Physical factors (ß = .17, p<0.05). Multiple regression was used for a variety of predictors that are associated with MSD. Physical factors (ß = .17, p<0.05), psychosocial factors (ß = -.14, p<0.05), and general well-being (ß = .43, p<0.01) are significantly associated with MSD in Malaysian primary school teachers. Overall, model statistic result was F (3, 276) = 36.730, p=0.001, R² = .45 and adjusted R² = .435. The model explained 44.7% (r= 0.67) of the variance in MSD discomfort. Conclusion: The studies concerning MSDs among teachers revealed the need for a significant effort, not only to examine the risk factors but also to develop interventions to minimize MSDs for those in the teaching profession

The biopsychosocial and spiritual perspective on the readiness to quit smoking: a comprehensive review

Smoking cessationis a major public health goal today as smoking has threatened the safety, health, and lives of millions of people in the global community. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the role of biopsychosocial and spiritual factors towards the readiness to quit smoking and smoking cessation. The results of the study found that smoking behaviour adversely affects not only the biological aspects but also the psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. Apart from that, this study also found that the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects also play an important role in determining the motivation of smokers to quit smoking holistically. Therefore, research and empirical evidence on the biopsychosocial and spiritual aspects are needed to help healthcare teams to identify the barriers and motivating factors to quit smoking

Pre-operative parental anxiety in paediatric surgeries: An Asian experience

Paediatric surgery is a traumatic experience, often accompanied by anxiety in parents. There have been many studies regarding pre-operative anxiety among children, however, there are limited studies exploring the anxiety levels of parents accompanying their child for surgery. This study aims to identify the presence of depression, anxiety, and stress among parents of children undergoing elective surgery in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. The study population consisted of children who were scheduled for elective minor surgery between January 2018 to June 2018. The 21-item depression anxiety stress scale (DASS-21) questionnaire was used. The majority of accompanying parents had a normal depression, anxiety, and stress scores. However, there was severe to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress in some parents. The results showed that accompanying parents with higher level of fear tend to develop more anxiety and stress. There were no significant changes in their scores in relation to gender, history of previous surgery or history of anaesthesia clinic visit. Anxiety among accompanying parents in children undergoing surgery is an underestimated problem. It needs to be identified and managed effectively to provide better care to the child undergoing surgery and anaesthesia

Loneliness, social anxiety, social influence and addiction that contributes to online social networking: A study among adolescent in Malaysia

The present study aimed to identify the contribution of loneliness, social anxiety, social influence and addiction on online social networking. In the study 220 students from different seven schools in Johor Bahru district of Malaysia were taken as sample. The obtained data was statistically analyzed by descriptive statistics through SPSS 17 version. Results demonstrated that social influence is an influential variable and has great contribution on online social networking. Further the study also revealed that loneliness was found to be the weakest factor in online social networking

Influence of Aggressive Media and Its Effect on Student Behaviour

This study aimed to find the influence of aggressive media and its effect on student’s behaviour. The study consists 127 students (92 male & 35 female) with problematic discipline from three secondary schools in Kulai District, Johor. The instrument used in the study was a set of questionnaires divided into two parts. Part A is used to look at the background of respondents, whereas section B is used to answer all four research questions. Questionnaire items were measured using a five-step scale. The data obtained were processed using the SPSS 17.0 version to evaluate the percentage of frequency, mean, t-test and correlation test. A pilot study was conducted by the researcher to measure the reliability of the questions in the questionnaire. The findings reported moderate impact of aggressive media on student’s behaviours. Findings for the effects of students' aggressive behaviour are also moderate. This study has important implications on the role of the media in reevaluating broadcast programs in order to minimize aggressive elements that may cause students to act aggressively

Index kesahan kandungan dan kesahan muka : M-socrates-s (Malay version of the stages of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale for smoking cessation) dan M-SSE (Malay version of smoking self efficacy)

Penilaian terhadap kesediaan berhenti merokok dan efikasi kendiri merokok memainkan peranan yang penting terhadap tindakan dan ketekalan tingkah laku berhenti merokok. Oleh yang demikian kajian ini dijalankan bagi mengenalpasti nilai index kesahan kandungan dan keshan muka bagi alat ujian M-SOCRATES-S (Malay Version of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale for Smoking Cessation) dan M-SSE (Malay Version of Smoking Self Efficacy). Kajian ini juga dijalankan bagi mengenalpasti kesesuaian kedua-dua alat ujian ini terhadap golongan perokok di Malaysia. Seramai dua orang pakar bagi kesahan kandungan dan seramai 10 orang perokok telah dipilih bagi kesahan muka. Hasil kajian menunjukkan nilai index S-CVI/UA bagi kesahan kandungan untuk alat ujian M-SOCRATES-S Version adalah 0.95 manakala nilai index S-CVI/Ave adalah 0.98. Nilai index CVI/UA dan S-CVI/Ave bagi kesahan kandungan bagi alat ujiat Smoking Self Efficacy-Malay Version pula adalah sama iaitu 1.0. Nilai index S-FVI/Ave bagi kesahan muka untuk alat ujian M-SOCRATES-S Version adalah 0.86 manakala nilai index S-FVI/Ave bagi kesahan muka untuk alat ujian Smoking Self Efficacy-Malay Version pula adalah 0.87. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan alat ujian S-SOCRATES-Malay Version dan Smoking Self Efficacy-Malay Version mencatatkan nilai index yang baik dan sesuai untuk dijalankan dalam kalangan perokok di Malasyia. Walau bagaimanapun, kajian rintis dalam mengenalpasti kesahan-kesahan lain seperti kesahan konstruk dan analisis penerokaan faktor bagi kedua-dua alat ujian ini adalah diperlukan

The effects of occupational stress on the management of an organization

Occupational stress is an important issue not only for the researchers but also for the employees and managers at work. This study aims to determine the effects of occupational stress on job satisfaction, intention to leave and absenteeism. A sample of 100 employees in the Companies Commission of Malaysia, a statutory body regulating companies and businesses was recruited to participate in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect information on demographics, stress, job satisfaction, intention to leave and absenteeism. Pearson correlation and Multiple Linear Regression was used to examine the relationships between different variables. The results show that occupational stress does not have a direct effect on the intention to leave and absenteeism. In contrast, occupational stress has a direct negative effect on job satisfaction. Furthermore, job satisfaction has negative effects on the intention to leave and absenteeism. In conclusion, the authors recommend the following to management: (a) increasing job satisfaction by reducing employee occupational stress, and (b) that by reducing stress, the organization can reduce the levels of intention to leave and absenteeism among employee