ABSTRACT
Introduction: In Malaysia, the prevalence of menstrual disorders among adolescents and young adults is high. However, most of them are not aware of the signs and symptoms of menstrual disorders in terms of medical issue as well as Islamic ruling. Awareness of the menstrual disorder symptoms is important so that early and appropriate treatment can be given. Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare the knowledge and attitude of premarital men and women on menstrual disorders. Methods: This was a comparative cross sectional study conducted in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Selfadministered questionnaires were given for data collection. The questionnaires consisted of 3 parts that required information on the women’s and men’s socio-demographic data, women’s menstrual history and information in knowledge and attitude of men and women on menstrual disorders. Results: A total of 460 respondents were involved in this study with a response rate of 93.5%. The prevalence of good knowledge was higher among women compared to men with 73.2% and 26.8%, respectively. There was a significant difference on knowledge and attitude on menstrual disorders between premarital men and women.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aimed to develop and examine the validity and reproducibility of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) among Malay pregnant women in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 177 Malay pregnant women participated in the validation study while 85 of them participated in the reproducibility study which was carried out in the antenatal clinic of Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital. The newly developed FFQ was validated against two 24-hour dietary recalls (DR). The FFQ was repeated 20 to 28 days apart. Results: Results showed that the FFQ moderately over estimated the nutrient and food intakes compared to the DR. Spearman correlation coefficients for nutrients ranged from 0.24 (fat) to 0.61 (calcium) and for foods, ranged from 0.13 (organ meats, onion and garlic) to 0.57 (malt drink). For nutrients, 72 to 85% of women were classified into the correct quartiles from the FFQ and the DR while for foods, 67 to 85% of women were classified correctly. Bland-Altman plot showed relatively good agreement between these two dietary methods. The intra-class correlation (ICC) was used to estimate reproducibility. It ranged from 0.75 (vitamin C) to 0.94 (phosphorus) for nutrients while it ranged from 0.73 (confectionary) to 0.96 (coffee) for foods. Conclusion: On average, at least 90% of pregnant women were correctly classified into the quartiles for nutrients and foods from the two sets of the FFQ. The FFQ presented acceptable reproducibility and appears to be a valid tool for categorising pregnant women according to dietary intake.