Effectiveness of a structured weight management programme at workplace among employees of a petroleum industry in Malaysia

Recognising the epidemic of overweight and obesity among Malaysians, formulation of intervention programmes such as a weight management programme at workplace is essential. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a structured weight management programme at workplace among overweight and obese employees. In this quasi-experimental study, sixty-four of overweight and obese adults were recruited and divided into two groups (intervention group, n = 32 and control group, n = 32). Subjects in the intervention group received three months scheduled programme and the control group received a routine weight management consultation from dietitians. Significant group effect was found on waist circumference (WC) in men (p < 0.05) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in women (p < 0.05). Men from the intervention group had reduced their WC by 3.4% (-3.7 cm) as compared to controls of 0.7% (-0.8 cm). Women in the intervention group improved their BMI by 1.4% (-0.4 kg/m2) as compared to controls at 0.3% (-0.1 kg/m2). Total cholesterol and LDL-C reduced among women in both intervention and control group with significant time effect (p < 0.05). As a conclusion a structured weight management programme effectively improved WC in men and BMI in women, and appeared to be as effective as individual diet counselling by dietitians in improving lipid profiles in women

Hospital food service quality improvement questionnaire (HFSQIQ): Development, translation and validation of a questionnaire.

The hospital food service department provides meals to staff, patients, and their caregivers while adhering to dietary therapy guidelines and promoting nutritional wellness. High-quality food service plays a pivotal role in offering inpatients nourishing meals that promote physical and mental well-being, aiding their recovery and overall health during their hospitalisation. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool for measuring and evaluating hospital food operations using the Total Quality Management approach. A literature review, in-depth interviews with food service employees, and a peer-review process were conducted to identify the domains and items for the questionnaire. A “Hospital Food Service Quality Improvement Questionnaire” (HFSQIQ) with 61 items in six domains was developed and the content validation was performed by seven experts. The questionnaire was translated into Malay, and the internal consistency of the HFSQIQ was examined using Cronbach’s alpha. Resultantly, the HFSQIQ depicted high validity and reliability, with a high I-CVI and Kappa index rating for most items and a Cronbach alpha value of 0.97 and 0.98 for the importance and performance scales, respectively. In conclusion, the HFSQIQ is a useful tool for evaluating and improving the quality of hospital food service operations

Management responsibilities among dietitians: what is the level of job satisfaction and skills involved? a scoping review

The role of dietitians involves not solely on clinical responsibilities. Additionally, operation management responsibilities such as managing human labor, financial resources, and problem solver are the tasks that a dietitian look after. It is reported to be challenging and stressful and could affect job satisfaction levels in the working environment. This scoping review aimed to explore the job satisfaction level and skills needed among dietitians to assume management responsibilities at their workplace. This study was completed using PRISMA guidelines. Online databases (Scopus and Science Direct) were used to identify papers published from 2000 to 2019. We selected English publications from the United States, Australia, South Africa, Korea, and the United Kingdom that used job satisfaction as a primary or secondary outcome. Studies were included if they addressed dietitians who were involved in clinical work, food service, and management in their dietetic practices. Findings on existing skills, including managerial skills, communication, teamwork, and time management among dietitians with management responsibilities, have helped to enhance the job satisfaction and work quality of the dietetic profession. The findings would be useful for human resource management in the organisation, preserving the professional identity of a dietitian

Children’s birth weight and their current body mass index in relation to early childhood caries

Early childhood caries (ECC) is considered the most common chronic disease in childhood globally. Earlier reports have associated ECC with weights at birth and during early childhood, but these have never been assessed in our local populations. Thus, the aim of this study was to find the associations between birth weight and current body mass index (BMI) and the occurrence of ECC among young children in Kuantan, Pahang. A total of 200 children aged from two to five years were recruited for this research. Visual examination for caries detection was conducted to determine the present of caries. The information on demographic data such as age, parental education levels, socioeconomic status, and anthropometry data such as birth weight, current height and weight of the participants were obtained from the parents through a self-administered questionnaire. The findings indicate that ECC was prevalent among 83% of the study participants. In addition, the children who were diagnosed with ECC had significantly (p=0.008) lower mean BMI (16.0 ± 12.0 kg/m²) compared to caries free children (18.7 ± 9.3 kg/m²). There is no association between ECC and birth weight but children with ECC were significantly more likely to be underweight compared to caries free children

Early childhood feeding practices and its association with early childhood caries

Early childhood caries (ECC) is one of the most prevalent dental diseases among children and is related to their early feeding practices. This multi-factorial disease involves susceptible tooth and host, fermentable carbohydrates in the diet, cariogenic micro-organisms and time (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2008). Thus, this study aimed to identify the associations between bottle-feeding and weaning practices, and ECC formation. By using convenience sampling, 201 children were recruited from the IIUM Outpatient Dental Clinic and ten kindergartens around the area of Kuantan, in the state of Pahang (Malaysia). Examination for caries was conducted visually to determine caries status (with or without caries). The caregivers were requested to fill in a questionnaire regarding feeding practices of their children. The findings of the study indicated that 67% of the children identified with caries practiced bottle-feeding in bed either sometimes or always (every night/day) (p=0.005). The prevalence of ECC was also significantly (p4 years) among the study population. In addition, the mean intake of sweetened drinks among children with ECC was significantly higher than those with no ECC (5.4 vs. 3.1 servings/week, p=0.001). The results of this research indicated that the increased frequency and prolonged duration of bottle-feeding practices, as well as high consumption of sweet drinks during weaning, could be associated with the formation of ECC. In conclusion, these findings would increase the awareness particularly among parents regarding bottle-feeding practices and weaning diet contents and its potential implication on their children’s oral health

Comparison of the effectiveness of online and face-to-face weight-loss interventions in the workplace: evidence from Malaysia

A structured weight management programme at a workplace may help in reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Therefore, this intervention study was to determine the effectiveness of weight loss programmes including face-to-face, online and control group at workplace among employees who are overweight and obese. A total of 108 overweight and obese adults were recruited and randomly divided into three groups (face-to-face group (FT), n=38; online group (OG), n=31; control group (CG), n=39). In the FT group, the participants took part in health talks, interactive activities and counselling; the OG group was given access to an online weight management program and the CG group was provided with educational booklets on weight loss. All information given was related to nutrition, physical activity and motivation to reduce weight. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage, dietary intake, fasting lipid profile and glucose levels were assessed at baseline and 4 months. The FT group showed greater reduction in body weight (-5.80 kg) compared to OG (-1.12 kg) and CG (-1.82 kg). Significant interaction effects were found for BMI, WC, fasting serum triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (all p<0.05), with the FT group showing the biggest improvements, compared to the other groups. The face-to-face weight management program offered in the workplace showed to be the most effective at improving anthropometric profile, fasting serum triglycerides, HDL-C, total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio, and dietary intake among overweight and obese employees