Tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS dalam kalangan ibu muda

Pengenalan Sindrom Kurang Daya Tahan Melawan Penyakit atau Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) adalah berpunca daripada jangkitan Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) dan merupakan penyakit dengan morbiditi dan mortaliti yang tinggi. Ibu muda adalah sub-populasi yang berisiko tinggi untuk memperoleh HIV melalui aktiviti seksual. Maklumat mengenai tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan dalam kalangan ibu muda di Malaysia mengenai pencegahan HIV/AIDS adalah masih terhad. Oleh itu, objektif kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS dalam kalangan ibu muda serta faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Kaedah Satu kajian keratan rentas telah dijalankan di sebuah hospital tertiari di pusat bandar dalam kalangan seramai 147 orang ibu muda yang berusia 18-30 tahun dan mendapatkan rawatan di Post Natal dan Wad Obstetrik dan Ginekologi (O&G). Pengumpulan data telah dijalankan pada bulan AprilNovember 2014 dan pemilihan responden adalah berdasarkan persampelan rawak mudah. Soalselidik yang mengandungi instrumen-instrumen yang telah divalidasi digunakan di dalam kajian ini. Kelulusan untuk menjalankan kajian ini telah diperoleh dari Jawatankuasa Etika Penyelidikan UKM sebelum prosedur pengumpulan data dilaksanakan. Keputusan Majoriti daripada ibu muda mempunyai pengetahuan (78.8%) dan amalan (71.2%) yang baik terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Lebih separuh (56.7%) daripada mereka mempunyai sikap yang positif terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Hasil kajian mendapati, status perkahwinan dan kawasan tempat tinggal ibu muda adalah berkait rapat dengan pengetahuan yang baik dan sikap yang positif terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS. Manakala dari segi amalan pula, ibu muda yang berkahwin dan berumur 5 tahun lebih tua mempunyai keberangkalian tiga kali ganda untuk mempunyai amalan yang baik terhadap pencegahan HIV/AIDS berbanding dengan ibu yang 5 tahun lebih muda. Kesimpulan Kesimpulannya, tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan serta faktor yang berkaitan dengan pencegahan HIV/AIDS boleh dijadikan sebagai garis panduan untuk merancang program kesihatan di masa akan datang dalam usaha mencegah HIV/AIDS di kalangan golongan ibu muda yang tidak berkahwin bagi memastikan program pencegahan dapat dilaksanakan secara efektif khususnya dalam meningkatkan pengetahuan, sikap dan amalan serta faktor yang berkaitan bagi membantu pencegahan HIV/AIDS di negara ini

Plain packaging and pictorial warning in Asia countries : where are we?

Worldwide, around 8 million people die yearly due to tobacco usage. Cigarette smoking is the most popular form of tobacco usage. Smoking has linked to many detrimental health effects among adults and adolescents. Recognising the burden of smoking, World Health Organization have implemented various tobacco control strategies under the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control and mPOWER. This includes implementation of plain packaging and pictorial warning. In Asia, only Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Israel have implemented plain cigarette pack. However, some countries have made progress to implement plain cigarette pack. Although some countries have not implemented plain pack, implementation of larger pictorial warning serve as a pathway for implementation of plain packaging. Countries with pictorial warning on cigarette pack should ensure it covers at least 50% of pack. Timor Leste has the largest pictorial warning on cigarette pack in the world. In conclusion, only 5 countries in Asia have implemented plain pack and some countries in this region are yet to implement size of pictorial warning according to requirement of World Health Organization. All countries should target to implement standardized pack to denormalise tobacco usage

Effectiveness of sugar sweetened beverages tax on health and healthcare costs: a systematic review

Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is one of many other best strategies to reduce consumption of SSB among populations. It is known that SSB consumption is the main contributor which cause obesity and further lead to non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to gather the evidence on the effectiveness of sugar-sweetened beverages tax implementation, in terms of health outcome and healthcare cost benefit. A systematic review was done related to literature that reported about effectiveness of sugar-sweetened beverages tax implementation, in terms of health outcome and healthcare cost benefit. Four databases were used to identify the literature, namely PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus and Ovid and Medline. PRISMA flow checklist was used as a guide to search for the eligible articles. In total, there were sixteen eligible articles included in this systematic review. All studies are simulation studies. Results showed that both excise and ad valorem tax are effective to reduce healthcare costs and could avert diseases related to high sugar intake. Other than that, it is proven that implementing tax will gain favorable health outcome rather than do nothing. Better results seen when the tax is increased. As a conclusion, SSB tax is proven as an effective public health intervention in terms of giving benefit to the health outcome and healthcare cost

Prevalence of Strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

Received 7 June 2018 Accepted 30 August 2018 Introduction Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Methods A systematic search was performed for relevant titles, abstract and keywords in database from Cochrane Library, PLOS One, PubMed and several other sources in October 2017 based on PICO strategy. Out of 511 papers that were evaluated for possible inclusion, final assessment for eligibility has yielded a total of 17 papers to be included which were found suitable for analysis covering period from 2012 till 2016. Results A major challenge of giving an overview of prevalence data for S. stercoralis lies in the low sensitivity of diagnostic method used which resulted in very low prevalence in certain countries. Cambodia and Laos presented with high prevalence ranging from 17.4% to 45.9% by using high sensitivity of diagnostic methods. The current prevalence situation of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia still have wide gaps remains due to several reasons. Conclusions The information we have today only scratches the surface which cannot truly reflect the true burden of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia The main risk factor is personal hygiene practices especially amongst males

Prevalence of Strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Methods: A systematic search was performed for relevant titles, abstract and keywords in database from Cochrane Library, PLOS One, PubMed and several other sources in October 2017 based on PICO strategy. Out of 511 papers that were evaluated for possible inclusion, final assessment for eligibility has yielded a total of 17 papers to be included which were found suitable for analysis covering period from 2012 till 2016. Results: A major challenge of giving an overview of prevalence data for S. stercoralis lies in the low sensitivity of diagnostic method used which resulted in very low prevalence in certain countries. Cambodia and Laos presented with high prevalence ranging from 17.4% to 45.9% by using high sensitivity of diagnostic methods. The current prevalence situation of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia still have wide gaps remains due to several reasons. Conclusions: The information we have today only scratches the surface which cannot truly reflect the true burden of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia The main risk factor is personal hygiene practices especially amongst males

Prevalence of strongyloidiasis in Southeast Asia: a systematic review

Introduction Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal helminth that infects humans through contact with soil containing the larvae. Methods A systematic search was performed for relevant titles, abstract and keywords in database from Cochrane Library, PLOS One, PubMed and several other sources in October 2017 based on PICO strategy. Out of 511 papers that were evaluated for possible inclusion, final assessment for eligibility has yielded a total of 17 papers to be included which were found suitable for analysis covering period from 2012 till 2016. Results A major challenge of giving an overview of prevalence data for S. stercoralis lies in the low sensitivity of diagnostic method used which resulted in very low prevalence in certain countries. Cambodia and Laos presented with high prevalence ranging from 17.4% to 45.9% by using high sensitivity of diagnostic methods. The current prevalence situation of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia still have wide gaps remains due to several reasons. Conclusions The information we have today only scratches the surface which cannot truly reflect the true burden of S. stercoralis in Southeast Asia The main risk factor is personal hygiene practices especially amongst males

Impak program komuniti: ‘rakyat sihat, inspirasi negara’

Penyakit tidak berjangkit termasuk hipertensi, diabetes dan penyakit jantung merupakan penyakit kronik yang menjadi punca utama morbiditi dan mortaliti serta menimbulkan cabaran penting kepada sistem penjagaan kesihatan. Pengetahuan tentang faktor risiko dan komplikasi penyakit ini penting dalam menggalakkan amalan gaya hidup yang positif. Aktivti pencegahan menerusi pendidikan individu atau berkumpulan untuk meningkatkan tahap pengetahuan adalah aspek penting yang sewajarnya diberi perhatian. Kajian rintis berbentuk program komuniti ini bertujuan meningkatkan tahap pengetahunan mengenai gejala dan komplikasi tiga penyakit tidak berjangkit utama iaitu hipertensi/tekanan darah tinggi, diabetes dan penyakit jantung dalam kalangan komuniti di sebuah kawasan perumahan awam. Seramai 40 orang penghuni telah terlibat di dalam program ini. Aktiviti program komuniti ini berdasarkan adaptasi daripada modul yang telah dibina dengan sedikit ubahsuai untuk menepati peserta sasaran. Modul yang terlibat adalah ‘Modul Status Kesihatan, Kualiti dan Keperluan Hidup di Kalangan Wanita B40 di Malaysia’. Satu set borang soal selidik digunakan untuk pengumpulan data iaitu: i) sosiodemografi ii) penilaian impak program dan iii) penilaian proses program. Seramai 36 peserta menjawab soalan pra-program dan 33 peserta menjawab soalan pasca-program. Bagi penilaian impak, daripada 17 soalan, terdapat peningkatan peratusan (64.5%) peserta yang menjawab soalan dengan betul. Untuk penilaian proses, item “secara keseluruhannya, program ini adalah berjaya dan bermanfaat” mendapat min skor tertinggi [4.91 (sp 0.29)]. Terdapat peningkatan tahap pengetahuan tehadap gejala dan komplikasi tiga penyakit berjangkit utama ini. Peserta berpuashati dengan proses pelaksanaan program. Dapatan kajian rintis ini boleh menjadi asas untuk membentuk strategi program komuntiti yang lebih komprehensif di masa hadapan

Penggunaan produk kesihatan semulajadi yang selamat: pemerhatian awal dalam kalangan penduduk perumahan awam Sri Kota, Cheras

Pasca pandemik penggunaan produk kesihatan semulajadi semakin meningkat dalam kalangan masyarakat di seluruh dunia, dan juga di Malaysia. Terdapat beberapa tujuan penggunaan produk kesihatan berasaskan bahan semulajadi oleh pengguna iaitu untuk merawat penyakit, mengawal simptom penyakit, mencegah penyakit dan untuk kesihatan umum. Seringkali penggunaan produk kesihatan semulajadi ini merupakan keputusan peribadi pengguna, dan sukar dipantau. Justeru itu, penggunaan produk kesihatan semulajadi yang selamat merupakan satu aspek yang penting untuk ditangani. Kesedaran dan pengetahuan pengguna perlu dipertingkatkan supaya keselamatan pengguna dapat dijaga. Kajian ini merupakan pemerhatian awal di Perumahan Awam Sri Kota, Cheras, dimana seramai 32 orang penduduk ditemubual secara ringkas untuk mendapatkan maklumat awal berkaitan penggunaan produk kesihatan semulajadi yang selamat. Terdapat lima (5) soalan ringkas ditanya untuk mendapatkan maklumat mengenai i) elemen produk yang disemak sebelum membuat pembelian produk, ii) individu yang dirujuk dalam penggunaan produk, iii) Faktor pemilihan/penggunaan produk, iv) logo yang dilihat pada produk dan v) pendaftaran produk melalui Quest 3+. Daripada kelima-lima soalan ini, didapati bahawa majoriti ahli komuniti yang ditemubual di Perumahan Awan Sri Kota, Cheras mempunyai tahap pengetahuan yang sederhana rendah mengenai penggunaan produk kesihatan yang selamat. Oleh yang demikian, inisiatif untuk meningkatkan kesedaran dan pengetahuan mengenai penggunaan produk kesihatan yang selamat perlu dipergiat melalui pelbagai pendekatan agar masyarakat menjadi pengguna produk kesihatan yang bermaklumat dan selamat

Smartphone apps as a technological innovation for weight reduction: a systematic review & meta-analysis

Purpose - The new technological innovation can have a vast potential for interventions to help weight loss and combat obesity. The current meta-analysis aimed to compare the effectiveness of smartphone applications (apps) with other methods for promoting weight loss. Design/methodology - PubMed, Ovid and Science Direct were searched from 2014 all-inclusive up to May 2019 for relevant studies that assessed any smartphone/mobile phone app intervention with anthropometric measurement. Statistical analysis performed to examine mean difference (95% CI) of body weight, body mass index and waist circumference. Six articles were included for meta-analysis. Findings - According to the results, compared with conventional or other interventions, smartphone app interventions showed statistically non-significant decreases in body weight, body mass index and waist circumference. Intervention through smartphone apps alone does not produce substantial evidence of weight loss, even though they might be useful for specific groups. There remain prospects to explore regarding the use of smartphone apps in combination with other approaches to aid and promote weight loss, as smartphone use has been proven to influence health-related behavioral modification

Post-flood impact on the quality of life of victims in East Coast Malaysia

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life among flood victims exposed at three worst districts in Pahang, Malaysia. Methods: Semi-guided questionnaires were distributed randomly to a total of 602 flood victims. Quality of life (QOL) was measured using WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), which were assessed based on four domains, i.e. physical activity, psychological, social relationships and environment. Results: Victims of the flood had a poorer quality of life in all the domains especially physical (59.0%) and psychological (53.3%) domain. The impact of the flood on QOL was higher among women, those who reside in the urban area, the elderlies and persons with high education and income. Conclusion: Flood event has reduced the QOL of victims. The impact of flood has been found to be mitigated over the time and relief efforts. Interventions aimed to reduce these concerns in acute post-flood areas are essential to minimize poor QOL among the affected victims