Background Overweight and obesity among adults are a growing global public health threat and an essential risk factor for various noncommunicable diseases. Although intermittent fasting is a generally new dietary approach to weight management that has been increasingly practiced worldwide, the effectiveness of 2 days per week dry fasting remains unclear. Objective The Cardiometabolic and Anthropometric Outcomes of Intermittent Fasting study aims to determine the cardiometabolic, anthropometric, dietary intake, and quality of life changes among civil servants with overweight and obesity, following combined intermittent fasting and healthy plate (IFHP) and healthy plate (HP) and explore the participants’ experiences. Methods We designed a mixed methods quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the IFHP and HP methods among adults with overweight and obesity. A total of 177 participants were recruited for this study, of which 91 (51.4%) were allocated to the IFHP group and 86 (48.6%) to the HP group. The intervention comprised 2 phases: supervised (12 weeks) and unsupervised (12 weeks). Data collection was conducted at baseline, after the supervised phase (week 12), and after the unsupervised phase (week 24). Serum and whole blood samples were collected from each participant for analysis. Data on sociodemographic factors, quality of life, physical activity, and dietary intake were also obtained using questionnaires during data collection. Results Most of the participants were female (147/177, 83.1%) and Malay (141/177, 79.7%). The expected outcomes of this study are changes in body weight, body composition, quality of life, physical activity, dietary intake, and cardiometabolic parameters such as fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, fasting insulin, and lipid profile. Conclusions The Cardiometabolic and Anthropometric Outcomes of Intermittent Fasting study is a mixed methods study to evaluate the effectiveness of combined IFHP and HP interventions on cardiometabolic and anthropometric parameters and explore participants’ experiences throughout the study. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05034653; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05034653 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/33801

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.

Aim: An aging population is a potential burden for unprepared developing countries. Malaysia is foreseen to be an aging country by 2035. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hearing disability among older persons in Malaysia. Methods: Data from a nationwide survey implemented using a stratified cluster sampling design were analyzed. This study was carried out through face‐to‐face interviews and guided questionnaires. The questions were based on the Washington Group of Disability (WG) questionnaires, which produce multiple disability identifiers. Hearing disability is defined as at least one domain or question out of four questions coded as “A lot of difficulty” or “Cannot hear at all”. Results: The prevalence of hearing disability among older persons aged ≥60 years was 6.4% (95% CI 5.0–8.3), whereas 1.5% (95% CI 0.90, 2.50) older persons were reported to be using a hearing aid. The determinants of hearing disability are being male (aOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.94–3.66), being unemployed (retired, homemaker, unemployed; aOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.86–4.14) and had no formal education (aOR 18.25, 95% CI 4.18–79.55). Conclusions: Promoting healthy aging is important and crucial for Malaysia, in preparation toward an aging nation, as it could reduce the country's financial burden in the long term. Health‐related agencies should promote health awareness and treatment centers in relation to hearing disability among older persons, as they should be educated and informed about healthcare choices availability, which is aligned with the Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 43–48.

Background: Hypoglycaemia among non-diabetes patients are not common but the aetiologies point out to factors such as sepsis, liver disease, malnutrition, alcohol related disorders and malignancies. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with non-diabetic hypoglycaemia. Materials and Methods: This study used data of the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015, a cross sectional design, applied two stage stratified cluster sampling. Descriptive statistics for the complex sampling and multiple logistic regression were applied to estimate the prevalence of hypoglycaemia in non-diabetes population and factors associated in Malaysia. Result: A total of 18373 respondents aged 18 years and above were analysed. The overall prevalence of non-diabetic hypoglycaemia among Malaysia adults were 10.2% (95% CI9.27- 11.23). Non-diabetic hypoglycaemia was significantly associated with males (AOR=1.24, 95% CI=1.03-1.49), age group 18-24 years (AOR=2.61, 95%CI= 1.91-3.57), age group 25-44 years (AOR=1.93,95%CI=1.41-2.63), other Bumiputra (AOR=1.79, 95%CI= 1.30-2.45) and others ethnicity(AOR=1.64,95%,CI=1.18-2.29),normal weight (AOR=1.48,95%CI= 1.20-1.82) and underweight (AOR=1.60,95%CI= 1.17-2.18). Conclusion: Lower Body Mass Index (BMI) and underweight respondents, younger age group, males, Bumiputras and other ethnicity, were significantly associated with non-diabetic hypoglycaemia. The outcome of this study warrants insights into treating this group of patients. Therefore, clinicians should dwell into the aetiology of hypoglycaemia in non-diabetic patients and treat the underlying cause.

Background: To determine the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Malaysian adults. Methods: We analysed data on 1044 men and 1528 women, aged 24–64 years, participants in the Non Communicable Disease Surveillance 2005/2006, a nationally representative, population-based, cross-sectional study. Prevalence of obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycemia, physical inactivity, smoking, risky drinking, low vegetable and fruit intake were determined and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify sociodemographic factors associated with having ≥3 of these cardiovascular disease risk factors. Results: The response rate was 84.6% (2572/3040). Overall, 68.4% (95% CI: 63.2, 73.1) had at least three risk factors. Among men, older age and Indian ethnicity were independently associated with having ≥3 CVD risk factors; while among women, older age, low education, and housewives were more likely to have ≥3 CVD risk factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors clustering among Malaysian adults is high, raising concerns that cardiovascular disease incidence will rise steeply in the near future if no immediate preventive measures are taken. The current national health education and promotion programmes pertaining to modifiable risk factors can be further improved by taking into account the sociodemographic variation in CVD risk factors clustering.

Background: GDM is shown to be closely linked with different adverse pregnancy outcomes both at the fetal and maternal level including an increased risk of caesarean-section delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, preeclampsia and macrosomia. This study aimed to determine the sociodemographic, body mass index and medical factors linked with gestational diabetes mellitus in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: Data from NHMS 2016 was used and a cross-sectional design was implemented with a two-stage stratified cluster sampling. This study employed descriptive statistics whereby the focus was on the percentage of each variable. Complex sample logistic regression was used to identify factors linked with GDM at both univariate and multivariable levels. The data were presented as adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI and with p values (<0.05) Result: The overall prevalence of GDM from this survey was 12.4% (1349). Results from multivariable analyses showed that there were significant associations between GDM and age group of 25-49 years old (p<0.001), Malay ethnicity (p=0.024), hypertensive medical history (p=0.003) and body mass index of both overweight and obesity (p<0.001). Conclusion: Early screening and proper management of this group should be done continuously by healthcare personnel. This study offers crucial information for practitioners and policymakers to take effective measures to address the issue highlighted and to improve the GDM-related care for reproductive aged women. Future studies on effects of GDM on live long obesity and non-communicable diseases should be conducted to address these important issues.

Background: Body Mass Index (BMI) been recognized to be less sensitive towards differentiating between muscular and the overweight. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of adults who are at health risk by WHtR but had normal BMI and to investigate whether WHtR is a better health risk correlator compared to BMI and WC. Materials and Methods: Data from the Malaysia Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015 was used. A descriptive analysis for socioeconomic and anthropometric variables was carried out. Correlations between the variables BMI, WHtR, SBP, DBP, Total cholesterol and Diabetes were checked using Pearson correlation test. The analysis of ROC curve was used to assess the accuracy of BMI, WC and WHtR as early health risk indicators for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Result: A total of 18373 respondents were included in this study. Findings showed 19.4% of adults with ‘normal weight by BMI’ have WHtR greater than 0.5 and are at health risk. Population that are at risk by BMI but not at risk by WHtR are only 2.9% from total population. ROC curve showed greater discriminatory power for WHtR compared with BMI for diabetes and high cholesterol but not DSP and SBP.These findings showed that WHtR had the best performance for diabetes and high cholesterol but not diastolic and systolic pressure. Conclusion: WHtR is effective in screening early health risk compared to BMI and WC. The Ministry of Health, Malaysia should investigate the benefits of using WHtR in their population based studies.