This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and factors associated with anemia among men in Malaysia. The researchers used data from the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS). The hemoglobin levels of men aged 15 years and above who gave their consent was measured using the HemoCue® Hb 201+ System©. The majority of them (87.2%) were men aged 15–59 years, referred to as the younger age group in this study. The prevalence of anemia among men was 12.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 10.9, 14.5). The prevalence was higher among older men (30.7%; 95% CI: 26.6, 35.1) than younger men (10.0%; 95% CI: 8.2, 12.2). Anemia among men was associated with older age (adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 3.1; 95% CI: 2.1, 4.4) and those with diabetes (aOR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.1) via a logistic regression analysis. In conclusion, older men were more affected by anemia than younger men in this study. Anemia among older men in Malaysia is at the level of moderate to severe public health significance. The likelihood of developing anemia is increased among older men with diabetes compared to older men without diabetes. These often overlooked issues among men need to be detected and treated early in order to prevent complications and improve their quality of life.

Malaysia reported its first known local transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on 5 February 2020.1 On 17 March 2020, the first two deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country occurred—just a week after the World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared the growing outbreak a pandemic. Two years into the current pandemic, there have been over 32,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 in Malaysia over three major epidemic waves and a cumulative case count of over three million, making it one of the most affected countries in the Western Pacific region. Absolute death counts are often the metric of choice in official reports (and in accompanying graphics—often in large, bold numbers—circulated through social media or chat groups to be fixated upon by the populace) summaris ing the latest COVID-19 statistics. Burden of disease approaches, such as measuring years of life lost (YLL) owing to premature death from a disease, offer a more appropriate metric than number of deaths for measuring the mortality burden of a disease on a population and sub-populations by recognising that deaths at youn ger ages have a greater impact on population health. This study aims to estimate the burden of mortality from COVID-19 by calculating YLL to COVID-19 over two full years of the pandemic in Malaysia, to compare YLL rates across different states, and to compare the impact of mortality directly attributable to COVID-19 relative to deaths from other leading causes of disease and injury in the country in pre-pandemic times.

Background: In Malaysia, the previous mortality burden has been a significant concern, particularly due to the high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as the leading cause of death. Estimates of mortality are key indicators for monitoring population health and determining priorities in health policies and health planning. The aim of this study was to estimate the disease burden attributed to 113 major diseases and injuries in Malaysia in 2018 using years of life lost (YLL) method. Methods: This study included all deaths that occurred in Malaysia in 2018. The YLL was derived by adding the number of deaths from 113 specific diseases and multiplying it by the remaining life expectancy for that age and sex group. Data on life expectancy and mortality were collected from the Department of Statistics Malaysia. Results: In 2018, there were 3.5 million YLL in Malaysia. Group II (NCDs) caused 72.2% of total YLL. Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of premature mortality among Malaysians (17.7%), followed by lower respiratory infections (9.7%), road traffic injuries (8.7%), cerebrovascular disease (stroke) (8.0%), and diabetes mellitus (3.9%). Conclusions: NCDs are a significant health concern in Malaysia and are the primary contributor to the overall burden of disease. These results are important in guiding the national health systems on how to design and implement effective interventions for NCDs, as well as how to prioritise and allocate healthcare resources. Key strategies to consider include implementing health promotion campaigns, adopting integrated care models, and implementing policy and regulatory measures. These approaches aim to enhance health outcomes and the managements of NCDs in Malaysia.

Introduction: Fall is a health problem for older persons. This study investigates the potential factors of concern: the nutritional status of older persons and non-communicable disease association with incidence of falls. Methods: This study used data from NHMS 2018, and conducted a cross-sectional design by applying two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Descriptive statistics such as the percentage of each variable were done. Factors associated with falls were determined at both univariate and multivariable levels using simple logistic regression and multiple logistic regression. The data were presented as standard values for each analysis and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI with p values (<0.05). Results: A total of 3,867 from 3,977 elderly (mean age 68.2+ 6.85) were recruited with the response rate of 97.2%. Factors associated with fall were 70 years old and above (AOR= 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.64), obesity (AOR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.98), undernutrition (AOR=1.59, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.94), persons with 2 NCDs (AOR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.92) and persons with 3 NCDs (AOR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.16). Conclusions: Advanced age, malnutrition, obesity, and having two or more NCDs are associated with falls in the NHMS 2018 study. In conclusion, falls are prevalent among older persons. There is an urgent need for public health strategies and programmes to decrease the incidence of modifiable risk factors and early identification of those at risk. Implementation of fall preventive programs which includes multifactorial interventions at hospitals and homes can also significantly reduce incidence of falls among older persons.

Background: Obesity does not always lead to non-communicable diseases. The objective of this paper is to estimate the prevalence of obese and disease-free population among Malaysian adult aged 18 years and above and to determine the lifestyle and dietary factors on this population. Materials and Methods: Data from the Malaysia National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015, a cross sectional design, applied two stage stratified cluster sampling. Obese and disease-free population was defined as population of obese adults with no known diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Descriptive analysis of the background characteristics was performed and complex sampling was used to determine the prevalence of obese and disease-free population. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with obese and disease free. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25.A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Result: 23.7% of Malaysian adults were obese and disease free. Multivariate analysis showed there were no association between lifestyle determinants (physical activity, smoking and alcohol) and dietary factors (fruits and vegetables intake) on these population. Significant associations were revealed among adults aged 18-24 [aOR: 5.00 (95% CI3.22-7.73)] and 25-44 years old [aOR: 2.45(95%CI 1.65-3.64)]. The Nagelkerke R Square analysis predicted that with each passing year, the probability of these population becoming unhealthy obesity increases by 4.4%. Conclusion: Obese and disease-free population is present among obese population. No significant association was reported for lifestyle determinants and dietary factors on these population. A focus shift on parameters of metabolic health should be considered.

This study aimed to investigate the association between socio-demographic factors and designated healthy lifestyle behaviours in a nationally-representative sample of Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above. Secondary data involving 7388 participants aged 18–96 years from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a national cross-sectional survey, was used in this study. A healthy lifestyle score (0–5 points) was calculated based on five modifiable lifestyle factors: non-smoker, body mass index < 25 kg/m2, physically active, moderate (or less) alcohol intake, and daily consumption of ≥ 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Associations between socio-demographic factors and healthy lifestyle behaviours were examined using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for sampling design. About 30.6% of the participants met at least four out of the five healthy lifestyle factors. In multinomial model, subjects who were female (aOR = 3.26, 95%CI = 2.58, 4.12), of Chinese (aOR = 2.31, 95%CI = 1.62, 3.30 or other ethnicity (aOR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.05, 1.98), and aged 18–30 years (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.12, 2.71) showed significant association with achieving healthy lifestyle compared to male, Malay and ≥ 61 years old as reference categories. Our results indicated that gender, age and ethnicity associated with healthy lifestyle behaviours. Information on the influence of socio-demographic factors on the prevalence of healthy lifestyles will facilitate the development of effective intervention strategies to improve the adaptation of healthy lifestyle practices.

Background: The populations of many countries—including Malaysia—are rapidly growing older, causing a shift in leading causes of disease and death. In such rapidly ageing populations, it is critical to monitor trends in burden of disease and health of older adults by identifying the leading causes of premature mortality and measuring years of life lost (YLL) to these. The objective of this study, therefore, is to describe the burden (quantified by YLL) associated with major causes of premature mortality among older adults in Malaysia in 2019. Methods: All deaths that occurred in older adults aged 60 and above in Malaysia in the year 2019 were included in this study. YLL was calculated by summing the number of deaths for the disease category at 5-year age intervals, multiplied by the remaining life expectancy for the specific age and sex group. Both life expectancy and mortality data were obtained from the Department of Statistics Malaysia. Results: In 2019, older adults accounted for 67.4% of total deaths in Malaysia (117,102 out of 173,746). The total number of YLL among older adults in Malaysia in 2019 was estimated at 1.36 million YLL, accounting for 39.6% of the total YLL (3.44 million) lost to all premature deaths in that year. The major causes of premature mortality among older adults were ischaemic heart disease (29.5%) followed by cerebrovascular disease (stroke) (20.8%), lower respiratory infections (15.9%), diabetes mellitus (8.1%) and trachea, bronchus and lung cancers (5.0%). Conclusions: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) remained the largest contributor to premature mortality among older adults in Malaysia. Implementation of population-level NCD health promotion programmes, screening programmes among high-risk groups and holistic intervention programmes among populations living with NCD are critical in reducing the overall burden of premature mortality