Browsing by Author "Miaw Yn Ling"
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- PublicationExposure to tobacco secondhand smoke and its associated factors among non-smoking adults in smoking-restricted and non-restricted areas: findings from a nationwide study in Malaysia(2018)
;Kuang Hock Lim ;Chien Huey Teh ;Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed ;Sayan Pan ;Miaw Yn Ling ;Muhammad Fadhli Mohd Yusoff ;Noraryana Hassan ;Nizam Baharom ;Netty Darwina Dawam ;Norliana Ismail ;Sumarni Mohd Ghazali ;Kee Chee Cheong ;Kar Hon ChongHui Li LimObjectives: Secondhand smoke (SHS) has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aims of the paper are to assess SHS exposure among non-smoking adults in Malaysia attending various smoking-restricted and non-restricted public areas according to the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations (CTPR) as well as its relationship with various sociodemographic variables. Design: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional study, the Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2011 which involved 3269 non-smokers in Malaysia. Data was obtained through face-to-face interviews using a validated pre-tested questionnaire. Factors associated with exposure to SHS were identified via multivariable analysis. Results: The study revealed that almost two-thirds of respondents were exposed to SHS in at least one public area in the past 1 month, with a significantly higher exposure among males (70.6%), those with higher educational attainment (81.4%) and higher income (quintile 1%–73.9%). Besides, the exposure to SHS was almost four times higher in non-restricted areas compared with restricted areas under the CTPR (81.9% vs 22.9). Multivariable analysis revealed that males and younger adults at non-restricted areas were more likely to be exposed to SHS while no significant associated factors of SHS exposure was observed in restricted areas. Conclusions: The study revealed the prevalence of SHS exposure was higher among Malaysian adults. Although smoke-free laws offer protection to non-smokers from exposure to SHS, enforcement activities in restricted areas should be enhanced to ensure strict public abidance. In addition, legislation of restricted areas should also be extended to greatly reduce the SHS exposure among non-smokers in Malaysia. - PublicationHypercholesterolemia Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control among Adults in Malaysia: The 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey, Malaysia(2018)
;Halizah Mat Rifin ;Tania Gayle Robert Lourdes ;Nur Liana Abdul Majid ;Hamizatul Akmal Abd Hamid ;Wan Shakira Rodzlan Hasani ;Miaw Yn Ling ;Thamil Arasu Saminathan ;Hasimah Ismail ;Muhammad Fadhli Mohd YusoffMohd. Azahadi OmarOBJECTIVE: Dyslipidaemia is one of the main modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, it is crucial to examine the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypercholesterolemia and its associated factors among adults in Malaysia. METHODS: We used data from 19,935 respondents aged 18 years and above who responded to the cholesterol module in the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015. The survey employed a two-stage stratified sampling to select a representative sample of Malaysian adults. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse the data.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 47.7%. Among those who were diagnosed to have hypercholesterolemia, only 19.2% were aware of their hypercholesterolemia status. Only a mere 12.7% (95% CI: 12.4 -13.1) among those who were aware were on treatment and out of which only 53.7% (95% CI: 50.1-57.2) had their cholesterol levels controlled. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was associated with gender, age, ethnicity, education level, occupation, marital status, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Awareness and treatment of hypercholesterolemia saw a similar pattern (except for gender and locality). For control of hypercholesterolemia, the female gender and secondary education levels were the only significant associated factors. CONCLUSION: The overall high prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in addition to poor awareness, treatment and control are significant public health problems. Intensified health campaigns and programmes especially among high-risk groups should be implemented in order to reduce or prevent complications of hypercholesterolemia in the near future. - PublicationPhysical activity and overweight/obesity among Malaysian adults: findings from the 2015 National Health and morbidity survey (NHMS)(2017)
;Ying Ying Chan ;Kuang Kuay Lim ;Kuang Hock Lim ;Chien Huey Teh ;Chee Cheong Kee ;Siew Man Cheong ;Yi Yi Khoo ;Azli Baharudin ;Miaw Yn Ling ;Mohd Azahadi OmarNoor Ani AhmadBackground: Overweight and obesity are growing health problems both worldwide and in Malaysia due to such lifestyle changes as decreased physical activity (PA), increased sedentary behavior and unhealthy eating habits. This study examined the levels and patterns of PA among normal-weight and overweight/obese adults and to investigate the association between PA level and overweight/obesity in Malaysian adults. Methods: This study used data from the 2015 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), a nationwide cross-sectional survey that implemented a two-stage stratified random sampling design. Respondents aged 18 years and above (n = 17,261) were included in the analysis. The short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was administered to assess the respondents’ PA levels. The respondents’ height and weight were objectively measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The respondents were categorized according to BMI as either normal-weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2 ) or overweight/obese (≥ 25 kg/m2 ). Descriptive and complex sample logistic regression analyses were employed as appropriate. Results: Overall, approximately 1 in 2 respondents (51.2%) were overweight/obese, even though the majority (69.0%) reporting at least a moderate level of PA (total PA ≥ 10 MET-hours/week). In both normal-weight and overweight/obese groups, a significantly higher prevalence of high PA (total PA ≥ 50 MET-hours/week) was observed among men than women (p < 0.001), but women reported a significantly higher prevalence of low and moderate PA than men (p < 0.001). Men reported significantly higher activity levels (in MET-hours/week) than women with regard to walking, vigorous-intensity PA and total PA (p < 0.001). Overweight/obese men reported a significantly lower level of vigorous-intensity PA and total PA than normal-weight men (p < 0.001). A low level of PA was associated with the risk of overweight/obesity (Adjusted OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.01–1.30) compared to a high level of PA among men but not among women. Conclusions: The levels of PA were inversely related to the risk of overweight/obesity in men but not in women. Programs designed to reduce overweight/obesity rates should encourage the practice of moderate to vigorous-intensity PA. Future research should consider using longitudinal and prospective approaches that simultaneously measure dietary intake, PA and BMI among Malaysian adults to investigate the actual relationship between PA and overweight/obesity. - PublicationPrevalence and factor/s associated with smoking among adults in Malaysia - Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015(2018)
;Kuang Lim ;Chien Teh ;Sayan Pan ;Miaw Yn Ling ;Muhammad Yusoff ;Sumarni Ghazali ;Chee Kee ;Kuang Lim ;Kar ChongHui LimINTRODUCTION: The continuous monitoring of smoking prevalence and its associated factors is an integral part of anti-smoking programmes and valuable for the evaluation of the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures and policies. This study aimed at determining prevalence of smoking and identifying socio-demographic factors associated with smoking among adults in Malaysia aged 15 years and over. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of 21 445 adults in Malaysia, aged 15 years and over, selected via a stratified, two-stage proportionate-to-size sampling method. Data were obtained from face-to-face interviews by trained research assistants, using a standard validated questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine socio-demographic factors associated with smoking among Malaysians. RESULTS The overall prevalence of smoking was 22.8% (95% CI: 21.9–23.8%), with males having a significantly higher prevalence compared to females (43.0%, 95% CI: 41.1–44.6 vs 1.4%, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7). The highest smoking prevalence was observed among other ethnicities (35.7%), those aged 25–44 years (59.3%), and low educational attainment (25.2%). Males, those with lower educational attainment and Malays were significantly associated with smoking. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of smoking among Malaysians, aged 15 years and over, remains high despite the implementation of several anti-smoking measures over the past decades. Specially tailored anti-smoking policies or measures, particularly targeting males, the Malays, younger adults and those with lower educational attainment, are greatly warranted to reduce the prevalence of smoking in Malaysia.. - PublicationSource of cigarettes among youth smokers in Malaysia: Findings from the tobacco and e-cigarette survey among Malaysian school adolescents (TECMA)(European Publishing, 2018)
;Kuang Hock Lim ;Chien Huey Teh ;Pei Pei Heng ;Sayan Pan ;Miaw Yn Ling ;Muhammad Fadhli Mohd Yusoff ;Sumarni Mohd Ghazali ;Chee Cheong Kee ;Rafiza ShaharudinHui Li LimIntroduction: Understanding how and where youth obtain tobacco products are major factors in the development of suitable intervention programs to reduce youth smoking. This study aimed to determine the source of cigarettes and the associated factors among Malaysian school adolescent smokers. Methods: Our sample consisted of 1348 youth aged 10–17 years who were current smokers (having smoked at least once in the last 30 days). The source of cigarettes (commercial, over-the-counter purchases; or social, borrowing or obtaining from someone else) was the dependent variable, and multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine its association with independent variables (i.e. sociodemographics, smoking behavior, and knowledge of laws prohibiting sales of cigarettes to youth). Results: Over half (54.3%) of current smokers obtained cigarettes from commercial sources, with a proportion nearly two times higher (84.2% vs 43.7%) among frequent smokers (i.e. those smoking more than 20 days per month) compared to less-frequent smokers, and among young males (56.5% vs 32.0%) compared young females. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that in urban areas, young females (AOR=12.5, 95% CI: 1.38–99.8) frequent smokers (AOR=4.41, 95% CI: 2.05–9.46), and those studying in lower (AOR=3.76, 95% CI: 1.41– 10.02) and upper secondary (AOR=4.74, 95% CI: 1.72–13.06) school students were more likely to obtain cigarettes from a commercial source. On the other hand, in rural areas, only frequent smokers were more likely to get their cigarettes from commercial sources, whilst other variables were not significant. Conclusions: The proportion of youth smokers who obtained cigarettes from commercial sources appeared to be high, suggesting that law enforcement and health promotion activities should be enhanced to reduce the rate of smoking among Malaysian youth.