MCO the real solution OR ...

"The first movement control order (MCO) that was done in March showed that the country had placed in an effective drastic measure to curb and reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. This was also taken further by imposing strategic Enhanced Movement Control Orders (EMCO) as targeted areas or hotbeds of the virus to contain it from spreading into the larger community. This proved to be a huge success as there was even 0 new cases reported.

Predictors of knowledge, attitude and practice of noise induced hearing loss among workers in an automotive industry in Malaysia

Introduction: Automotive workers are exposed to high level of noise as part of their daily work routine. Determining the predictors of knowledge, attitude and practice of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) among automotive is important because it may help prevent a serious irreversible disease known as noise induced hearing loss. Methods: A cross sectional study in an automotive plant in Shah Alam, Selangor was conducted from January 2015 to May 2015 among 550 workers with response rate of 83%. Respondents were workers from the operational divisions, selected based on simple random sampling using validated, published (1) and reliable self-administered questionnaire that focused on knowledge, attitude and practice towards NIHL. Results: Logistic Regression was used to determine predictors and the predictors for satisfactory knowledge on noise induced hearing loss were perceived noise exposure as harmful noise (AOR=0.54, 95%CI = 1.02 - 3.41), years in service for more than 10 years (AOR=2.79, 95%CI = 1.71 – 4.56) and had received training on safety (AOR=1.94, 95%CI = 1.12 – 3.36). For satisfactory attitude the predictors were perceived noise exposure as harmful noise (AOR=3.79, 95%CI = 2.36 – 6.10), years in service for more than 10 years (AOR=0.56, 95%CI = 0.34 – 0.83) and tertiary level of education (AOR=3.61, 95%CI = 1.67 - 7.81). As for satisfactory practice the predictors were more than 10 years in service (AOR=2.16, 95%CI = 1.24 – 3.75) and had received training on safety (AOR=1.94, 95%CI = 1.26 – 2.99). Conclusions: The results from this study may be used to set appropriate measures and identify workers who are at risk of developing noise induced hearing loss

Adherence among parents on under-five childhood immunization schedule: a review

Background: Adherence on under-five childhood immunization schedule has been an area of study that has seldom been explored. Adherence has been the subject of focus in determine if the results of outbreaks and vaccine preventable disease is related to the adherence of the parents to the vaccine schedule. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of articles on the factors of adherence on under-five childhood immunization schedule was performed using various keywords utilizing multiple databases (Medline, PubMed, Science Direct and CINAHL). Studies conducted between 2000 to present, English language and were either observational or qualitative designs were included. Result: Of 45 articles identified, 13 studies were eligible for inclusion. The studies showed that the majority of factors were divided into modifiable and non-modifiable factors. These factors were then further classified into various groups according to its relevance. The modifiable factors were identified as knowledge, vaccine, awareness and perception towards childhood immunization. Whereas non-modifiable factors were sociodemographic factors of parent and child, logistic factors and administration factors. Conclusion: There were many factors identified significantly to be associated with adherence among parents on under-five childhood immunization schedule

Systematic review on effectiveness of methods of delivery and reminder of health education module to improve adherence on childhood immunization schedule

Background: There are currently various methods of delivery that can improve adherence on under-five childhood immunization schedule. The methods differ significantly and there is the conventional method of providing a health education module, reminders and recalls to improve adherence and some other non-conventional methods to improve adherence. A systematic review was conducted on the effectiveness of methods of delivery and reminder of health education module to improve adherence on childhood immunization schedule. Materials and Methods: The systematic review performed utilized searched on available electronic databases and bibliographies of studies and also previous reviews. The databases were broad search and began with the use of generic terms to identify search terms that were relevant. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis) by Moher et al (2009) was used. Databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Medline and CINAHL were utilized for this systematic review. Results: The studies in the review conducted was conducted in various countries with the United States of America (USA) contributing 7 studies, followed by the United Kingdom and Pakistan with 3 studies each and Kenya, Australia, New Zealand and India with 1 study respectively. The lowest number of respondents was 12 while the most was 9213 respondents. All studies were Randomized Control Trial’s (RCT’s) and 1 Quasi Experimental study. Conclusion: The studies showed multiple factor and effective methods of delivery with reminders for health education. Utilizing technology showed to be one of the most effective methods

Impact of nutritional intervention on the weight of B40 children in Selangor

Nutritional status is a significant measure of the overall health of the population. Among children of the most vulnerable groups to have malnutrition are those in the B40 group, with Selangor being the most populous state that has these vulnerable populations. This study aims to assess the impact of nutrition intervention in reducing underweight prevalence among children in the Selangor B40 group. The data was collected from June 2022 until October 2022 from 500 children aged 1 to 6 years old. Intervention includes a monthly food pack consisting of specialised formula milk and multivitamins alongside nutrition counselling Monthly weights were taken for 5 months using the SECA weight scale model 874 and it was monitored using the WHO AnthroPlus. The majority of the respondents were male (51.3%). Baseline results showed 20.6% underweight respondents with 14.4% moderately underweight and 6.2% who were severely underweight. Mean weight increment was observed the highest during the fifth month with 1200g, followed by 510g, 450g, and 110g for the fourth, second, and third month, respectively. A declining prevalence of underweight was observed by the fifth month (10.9%) with 9.2% moderately underweight, 1.7% remains severely underweight and 9.7% children progressing to normal weight. By giving nutrient supplementation, it helps to improve the weight of these children. However, other factors that may contribute to undernutrition such as maternal diet, food insecurity, nutrition education and complications from a variety of diseases should not be overlooked

Knowledge and attitude of automotive workers towards noise induced hearing loss

Background: Excessive exposure to noise can cause a serious irreversible disease known as noise induced hearing loss. In all workplaces there is always risk of exposure to occupational noise but some workers are more susceptible to a higher exposure of workplace noise in comparison to others. This study was to determine the satisfactory knowledge and attitude of automotive workers towards noise induced hearing loss. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from January 2015 to May 2015 in an automotive company in Selangor. There were 457 respondents that were selected based on simple random sampling method, using validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire. The dependent variables were knowledge and attitude on noise induced hearing loss and the independent variables were age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, perceived noise exposure, years of service and training on safety. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. Result: Response rate was 83.1%. 21.7% had satisfactory knowledge and 39.8% had satisfactory attitude towards noise induced hearing loss. For knowledge the significant association were between age group and (X2=17.831; df 3; p<0.001), perceived noise exposure (X2=6.237; df 2; p=0.044), years in service (X2=618.588; df 3; p<0.001) and training on safety (X2=9.129; df 1; p=0.001) with noise induced hearing loss. As for attitude they were significant association between level of education (X2=20.934; df 3; p<0.001), perceived noise exposure (X2=54.560; df 2; p<0.001) and years in service (X2=19.464; df 3; p<0.001) with noise induced hearing loss. Conclusion: The satisfactory level of knowledge and attitude is low. Heath intervention focussing on knowledge on noise induced hearing loss is needed. The results from this study may be used to set appropriate measures and identify workers who are at risk of developing noise induced hearing loss

Mental health mobile apps during Covid-19 Pandemic to evaluate stress level in Selangor

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively on public mental health. As a result, monitoring the level of the population mental health is a priority during crises. This study aims to measure stress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Selangor. Cross-sectional study was done using SELANGKAH apps, where users are Selangor citizens. Data was collected from September 2021 until March 2022. This app was initially used as contact tracing and mental health modules (SEHAT) were added, consisting of a validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire. Out of 42072 SEHAT users, 6411 people had completed the questionnaire. Majority were female (53.6%), Muslims (79.6%), had formal education up to secondary (49.0%), low income (89.9%), and young and middle- aged adults (59.7%). Majority have a moderate stress (66.8%), while 23.3% and 9.9% are low and high levels, respectively. High stress is significantly associated with females, high education, younger age groups, and low monthly income. Several factors could have contributed to this throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, such as online learning, uncertainty on study duration, financial constraints and limited social interactions. Moreover, as an effect of prolonged pandemic and MCO, a surge in the number of job terminations has also affected the source of income, which contributed to high levels of stress among the general population. The level of stress in Selangor was high during the pandemic as an effect of MCO

Assessing Malaysian disaster preparedness for flood

Flood has been one of the most recurring disasters in Malaysia since the early 1920’s. Previously it was limited to the city centre with flash floods occurring at various intervals. With the major development and expansion of the country as a whole, various states especially those located in the eastern coastal regions have been badly affected over the recent years. The capital Kuala Lumpur has also not been spared. Various agencies play a role in the mitigation and preparedness in the event of a flood disaster and this article aims to look at the strategic planning and also assess the Malaysian disaster preparedness as a whole. They are however very limited papers and research done on the disaster preparedness in Malaysia, and the majority of the paper has used guidelines, Acts and Laws, reports and also direct Ministerial regulations to help assess the disaster preparedness plan in Malaysia. The paper found that there are many areas of assessment and key agencies involved. The disaster plan in Malaysia at present is not perfect and there is much room for improvement and upgrading

Source of stressors among medical students in Malaysia: a brief review

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the main sources of stressors among medical students in Malaysian public or private universities. Studies have shown that undergraduate students suffer from tremendous stress. Tertiary education has always been regarded as a highly stressful environment, especially for medical students. Method: A systematic literature review of the scientific articles on stressors in medical students were conducted. Various literature were searched through electronic databases, i.e. PubMed and SCOPUS published until December 2019 for articles bearing keywords; i) stress, ii) medical students, and iii) Malaysia. A total of eighteen articles were reviewed and data extracted. Results: The most common stressor was related to academic requirements that included tests and examinations. The other significant determinants consisted of psychological stress and personal factors. Conclusion: Studying medicine is highly stressful for undergraduate students. Although comparing various studies were difficult because of the differences in study design, instrument, number of stressors, etc.; this review gives the most recent published articles which included descriptive information that might be very useful for future research and management of stressors for medical students and education

Nutritional intervention and its impact on the height of children among the B40 group in Selangor

Introduction: A number of children suffer from malnutrition with visible stunting due various factors such as food insecurity and household income. The address of nutritional intervention promotes healthier outcomes especially engagement through population with greater risks, those with low income of B40 groups in Selangor being the most populous state, thus accelerating health policy makers in making differences in public health strategies. Nutritional status is a significant measure for the anthropometric development of the children population. Therefore, this study aims to measure the impact of nutritional intervention on the height of children aged 1 to 6 years old among the population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in Selangor State involving 500 children aged 1 to 6 years old randomly selected among the B40 group. A nutritional intervention that involved the supply of specialized formula milk totalling 2kg and 30 tablets of multivitamin with lysin were given for each month. Nutritional counseling was also given. Anthropometric measurements were taken using (barang) and were monitored using WHO AthroPlus software. The height is categorized into moderately stunted and severely stunted defined by WHO height-for age Z score. Descriptive data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Results: 500 total respondents participated in the 5-month course. There were equal numbers of gender 50% and the majority of the respondents were aged 3 years old. For all ages, the baseline height results showed 15.0% were moderately stunted and 3.3% were severely stunted. For each month, there was an increase in mean of height, where the highest in the second month follow up, increase in mean of 1.89m, followed by 0.63m, 0.53m and 0.48m increase in height on the third, fourth and fifth month respectively. The fifth month has the lowest percentage of moderately stunted children 5.0% compared to the first month with 15%. Discussion: Here, by giving nutrient supplementation, it helps to improve the height of these children. Initially, children may develop stunting not as easily as being underweight. Stunting is needed more attention compared to other undernutrition anthropometric; underweight and wasting as each varies in severity, speed and onset of its retardation. Conclusion: Access to nutrition security throughout the 5-months-programme improves the stunting problems, thus the growth and health outcomes in up to aged 5 children. Therefore, other efforts of environmental sanitation, primary health care and control infections for the children are also recommended