Evaluating the websites of small-and-medium-sized hotels (SMHs) in Malaysia

This study develops a set of evaluation criteria to evaluate the websites of small-and-medium-sized hotels (SMHs) in Malaysia and to identify current levels of sell-side e-commerce among SMHs in Malaysia. Each of the criteria is evaluated by a 5-point Likert scale rating.The study scaned thoroughly 33 websites of the SMHs located in Kuala Lumpur. The preliminary findings suggest that 51.5 percent of the websites are easy to access, but have no site map or search engine provided within the website.90.9 percent of the websites do not offer a customer loyalty program.A total of 75.8 percent of SMHs do not provide a privacy and security policy on the website.This study concludes that the current levels of sell-side e-commerce among SMHs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is at level 4, which is an interactive site supporting transactions with users.This research has implications for hotel practitioners, specifically to SMHs in the context of website development as they move to higher levels of sell-side e commerce

Methodology approaches and challenges in population‐based longitudinal study of a neuroprotective model for healthy longevity

Aim: The 36‐month Long‐Term Research Grant Scheme project: Towards Usual Aging – Neuroprotective Model for Healthy Longevity among Malaysian Elderly was designed to address multidimensional aspects including psychosocial, biophysical health, nutrition and dietary pattern, and auditory and visual function to highlight the magnitude of these associations in a single study. Methods: A total of 2322 respondents aged ≥60 years were recruited at baseline using the multistage sampling method, followed up at 18 months and 36 months. Results: Response rates at baseline, 18 months and 36 months were 87.8%, 77.3% and 67.1%, respectively. At baseline, the prevalence of successful aging, usual aging and mild cognitive impairment was 11%, 73% and 16%, respectively. The prevalence of single and multimorbidity at baseline were 25.9% and 50.3%, respectively. The incidence rates of mild cognitive impairment at 18 months and 36 months were 6.5 and 5.6 per 100 person‐years. The incidence rates of multimorbidity at 18 months and 36 months were 23.7 and 21.5 per 100 person‐years, respectively. Conclusions: The Long‐Term Research Grant Scheme project: Towards Usual Aging study provides an opportunity to investigate the interactions between wide ranges of aspects of the older population in a nationally representative sample of the older population

The burden of unintentional drowning: Global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

This article was previously published with errors in authorship and affiliations. Please note the below updates: The updated affiliations for Rakhi Dandona 4,5,39 are 4 Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. 5 Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. 39 Public Health Foundation of India, Gurugram, India. Author Hai Quang Pham has been added prior to Suzanne Polinder. The affiliation for Hai Quang Pham 107 is 107 Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Hanoi, Vietnam Author Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar has been added prior to Saleem Muhammad Rana. The affiliation for Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar 123 is 123 Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Centre, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Author Bach Xuan Tran has been added prior to Pascual R Valdez. The affiliation for Bach Xuan Tran 151 is 151 Department of Health Economics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam. This affiliation has been added in the affiliation list. Please see: https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043484corr1.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Background: Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality globally. Unintentional drowning (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes W65-74 and ICD9 E910) is one of the 30 mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive causes of injury-related mortality in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. This study's objective is to describe unintentional drowning using GBD estimates from 1990 to 2017. Methods: Unintentional drowning from GBD 2017 was estimated for cause-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), age, sex, country, region, Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, and trends from 1990 to 2017. GBD 2017 used standard GBD methods for estimating mortality from drowning. Results: Globally, unintentional drowning mortality decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017, from 531 956 (uncertainty interval (UI): 484 107 to 572 854) to 295 210 (284 493 to 306 187) deaths. Global age-standardised mortality rates decreased 57.4%, from 9.3 (8.5 to 10.0) in 1990 to 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) per 100 000 per annum in 2017. Unintentional drowning-associated mortality was generally higher in children, males and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for 51.2% of all drowning deaths in 2017. Oceania was the region with the highest rate of age-standardised YLLs in 2017, with 45 434 (40 850 to 50 539) YLLs per 100 000 across both sexes. Conclusions: There has been a decline in global drowning rates. This study shows that the decline was not consistent across countries. The results reinforce the need for continued and improved policy, prevention and research efforts, with a focus on low-and middle-income countries.Royal Life Saving Society - Australi

Proceedings of the Available online at www.icoec.my Evaluating the Websites of Small-and-Medium-Sized Hotels (SMHs) in Malaysia

Abstract: This study develops a set of evaluation criteria to evaluate the websites of small-and-medium-sized hotels (SMHs

Effect of Talbinah food consumption on depressive symptoms among elderly individuals in long term care facilities, randomized clinical trial

Manal M Badrasawi, Suzana Shahar, Zahara Abd Manaf, Hasnah HaronDietetics program, School of Health Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaAbstract: Talbinah is a barley syrup cooked with milk and sweetened by honey. In his famous Hadith on Talbinah, the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) recommended it when sad events happen for its effect on soothing hearts and relieving sadness. This 3-week crossover designed, randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine the effect of Talbinah on mood and depression among institutionalized elderly people in Seremban. A sample of 30 depressed elderly subjects (21 men and 9 women) was selected from the long term care facility. Three different interview-based validated scales (Geriatric Depression Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, and Profile of Mood States) were used to determine mood, depression, stress, and anxiety at week 0, 3, 4, and 7. The nutritional value of Talbinah was examined using proximate food analysis, minerals content analysis, and differential amino acid analysis. The results indicated that Talbinah is a high carbohydrate food (86.4%) and has a high tryptophan: branch chain amino acids ratio (1:2). A Wilcoxon nonparametric test showed that there was a statistically significant decrease on depression, stress, and mood disturbances scores among the intervention group (P < 0.05) for all parameters. In conclusion, Talbinah has the potential to reduce depression and enhance mood among the subjects. Ingestion of functional foods such as Talbinah may provide a mental health benefit to elderly people.Keywords: Talbinah, food and depression, cross over study, elderl

A simple dietary assessment tool to monitor food intake of hospitalized adult patients

Dwi Budiningsari,1,2 Suzana Shahar,1 Zahara Abdul Manaf,1 Susetyowati Susetyowati2 1Dietetic Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2Department of Health Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Background/objectives: Monitoring food intake of patients during hospitalization using simple methods and minimal training is an ongoing problem in hospitals. Therefore, there is a need to develop and validate a simple, easy to use, and quick tool that enables staff to estimate dietary intake. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate the Pictorial Dietary Assessment Tool (PDAT).Subjects and methods: A total of 37 health care staff members consisting of dietitians, nurses, and serving assistants estimated 130 breakfast and lunch meals consumed by 67 patients using PDAT. PDAT was developed based on the hospital menu that consists of staple food (rice or porridge), animal source protein (chicken, meat, eggs, and fish), and non-animal source protein (tau fu and tempeh), with a total of six pictorials of food at each meal time. Weighed food intake was used as a gold standard to validate PDAT. Agreement between methods was analyzed using correlations, paired t-test, Bland–Altman plots, kappa statistics, and McNemar’s test. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic were calculated to identify whether patients who had an inadequate food intake were categorized as at risk by the PDAT, based on the food weighing method. Agreement between different backgrounds of health care staff was calculated by intraclass correlation coefficient and analysis of variance test.Results: There was a significant correlation between the weighing food method and PDAT for energy (r=0.919, P<0.05), protein (r=0.843, P<0.05), carbohydrate (r=0.912, P<0.05), and fat (r=0.952; P<0.05). Nutrient intakes as assessed using PDAT and food weighing were rather similar (295±163 vs 292±158 kcal for energy; 13.9±7.8 vs 14.1±8.0 g for protein; 46.1±21.4 vs 46.7±22.3 g for carbohydrate; 7.4±3.1 vs 7.4±3.1 g for fat; P>0.05). The PDAT and food weighing method showed a satisfactory agreement beyond chance (k) (0.81 for staple food and animal source protein; 0.735 for non-animal source protein). Intraclass correlation coefficient ranged between 0.91 and 0.96 among respondents. There were no differences in energy, protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake estimated among health care staff (P=0.967; P=0.951; P=0.888; P=0.847, respectively).Conclusion: In conclusion, PDAT provides a valid estimation of macronutrient consumption among hospitalized adult patients. Keywords: validation, dietary assessment tool, nutrient intake, plate waste, hospitalized patient

Predictors of quality of life among hospitalized geriatric patients with diabetes mellitus upon discharge

Nuruljannah Johari,1 Zahara Abdul Manaf,1 Norhayati Ibrahim,2 Suzana Shahar,1 Norlaila Mustafa3 1Dietetics Programme, 2Health Psychology Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, 3Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Purpose: Diabetes mellitus is prevalent among older adults, and affects their quality of life. Furthermore, the number is growing as the elderly population increases. Thus, this study aims to explore the predictors of quality of life among hospitalized geriatric patients with diabetes mellitus upon discharge in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 110 hospitalized geriatric patients aged 60 years and older were selected using convenience sampling method in a cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic data and medical history were obtained from the medical records. Questionnaires were used during the in-person semistructured interviews, which were conducted in the wards. Linear regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of each domain of quality of life. Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that activities of daily living, depression, and appetite were the determinants of physical health domain of quality of life (R2=0.633, F(3, 67)=38.462; P<0.001), whereas depression and instrumental activities of daily living contributed to 55.8% of the variability in psychological domain (R2=0.558, F(2, 68)=42.953; P<0.001). Social support and cognitive status were the determinants of social relationship (R2=0.539, F(2, 68)=39.763; P<0.001) and also for the environmental domain of the quality of life (R2=0.496, F(2, 68)=33.403; P<0.001). Conclusion: The findings indicated different predictors for each domain in the quality of life among hospitalized geriatric patients with diabetes mellitus. Nutritional, functional, and psychological aspects should be incorporated into rehabilitation support programs prior to discharge in order to improve patients’ quality of life. Keywords: diabetes mellitus, geriatric, quality of life, hospitalized, rehabilitatio

Development and assessment of a web-based intervention for educating older people on strategies promoting healthy cognition

Divya Vanoh,1,2 Intan Hafizah Ishak,1 Suzana Shahar,1 Zahara Abdul Manaf,1 Nazlena Mohamad Ali,3 Shahrul Azman Mohd Noah4 1Centre for Healthy Aging and Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2Dietetics Programme, School of Health Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia; 3Institute of Visual Informatics (IVI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; 4School of Information Technology, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Background: The increase in the population of aging people has increased the occurrence of cognitive decline leading to predemented stage of dementia, ie, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The cognitive tools that are web-based have been proven to be useful in decreasing the risk of MCI. Thus, in the present study, an education tool that is web-based, called WESIHAT 2.0©, had been created to educate elderly people about precautionary strategies against MCI.Methodology: WESIHAT 2.0 was devised in a senior-friendly style, which includes touch screen, greater font size, larger icons, and employed multimedia components of text, images, and videos. The components employed in WESIHAT 2.0 were a screening tool called TUA-WELLNESS, 10 guides for memory improvement, health diary, and guide for a healthy menu. This application assessed a group of 73 candidates consisting of elderly people, health professionals, caregivers, and information technology (IT) professionals for 1 month.Results: All the elderly people, caregivers, and 75% of IT and health professionals were satisfied with the subject matter of WESIHAT 2.0. About more than half of the elderly people, caregivers, and IT and health professionals had given a consensus on the comprehensive ease of the terminologies, sentences, images, table, and advice related to diet included in the web application. Proposals for improvements of the web portal included suggestions such as using smaller sentences, using greater font size, adding more images, and avoiding the use of unfamiliar terminologies.Conclusion: WESIHAT 2.0 is a suitable tool for educating older people about the lifestyle modification strategies to slower progression to cognitive impairment, with regard to the significance of expert advice. Keywords: senior-friendly, computer, health, lifestyle, education too