Objectives: Multimorbidity has been recognised as a global public health issue, and individuals with multimorbidity have been found to have high healthcare utilisation. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of non-communicable diseases among adults in Malaysia, identify factors associated with multimorbidity, and assess the association between the number of non-communicable diseases and outpatient services utilisation. Design and setting: A retrospective secondary data analysis using data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a cross-sectional household survey among the population in Malaysia. Participants: All adults aged 18 years and above. Outcome measures: The two outcome variables were multimorbidity and outpatient services utilisation. Characteristics of respondents and those having multimorbidity were described using complex sample descriptive statistics. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine the associated factors of having multimorbidity and the association between the number of non-communicable diseases and outpatient services utilisation. Results: Overall, 11 347 respondents were included in the analysis. This study found a prevalence of 11.4 (95% CI=10.43–12.39) for multimorbidity. Age, marital status and working status were the factors associated with multimorbidity. Adults with multimorbidity were high users of outpatient services (20.4%, 95%CI=17.5– 23.7), approximately threefold of adults with no non communicable diseases. In the final model, multimorbidity showed an adjusted OR of 3.28 (95% CI=2.48–4.32) for outpatient services utilisation. Conclusion: Understanding factors associated with multimorbidity and the magnitude of the impact of having multimorbidity towards outpatient services utilisation could help in future planning for healthcare system transformation. The recently launched Health White Paper for Malaysia has emphasised primary healthcare as a critical component to achieve aspirations of the health system, which includes equity and responsiveness. Strengthening primary care services and improving patient navigation across healthcare levels are critical to supporting individuals with multimorbidity. Avenues for further research include exploring a wider range of conditions and assessing the longitudinal impact of multimorbidity on healthcare utilisation and health outcomes.

Depression is the most common mental health problem affecting adolescents globally, wherein its increasing prevalence together with the negative health impacts escalates the need for further research in this area. This work determined the prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among young adolescents in Malaysia. A total of 1350 adolescent aged 13 to 14 years in school across nine secondary schools in Selangor state, Malaysia participated in a cross-sectional study. Independent variables were examined using the using the Global School-Based Student Health Survey included age, gender, ethnicity, alcohol intake, smoking and illicit drug use, loneliness, bullying, parental marital status, income and supervision; and the Health Literacy and Stigma questionnaire examined mental health literacy levels. Depressive symptoms were the dependent variable which was examined using the Center for Epidemiology Study Depression (CESD) instrument. Prevalence of depressive symptoms among all participants was 19 % (95% CI [16.9, 21.2]), with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms being reported among females 26.3% (95% CI [23.0, 29.8]) compared to males 11.7% (95% CI [9.4, 14.4]). Determinants namely females (AOR = 3.83; 95% CI [2.66, 5.52]), smoking (AOR = 6.16; 95% CI [3.15, 12.05]), been bullied (AOR = 3.70; 95% CI [2.51, 5.47]), felt lonely (AOR = 10.46; 95% CI [7.09, 15.42]) and having no parental supervision (AOR = 1.79; 95% CI [1.26, 2.53]) significantly increased the odds of depressive symptoms among all adolescents in the multivariate model. In addition, feeling lonely, being bullied and smoking were identified as common significant determinants of depressive symptoms across both genders. Feeling lonely (65% to 71%) and being bullied (10% to 19%) were ranked as the most important determinants of depressive symptoms among young adolescents. Tackling these factors would be instrumental in helping decision makers formulate depression prevention strategies and activities for adolescents.