RESUMEN
@#Introduction: Hepatic diseases patients are especially prone to malnutrition, which is often underestimated. Screening tools were developed to detect the risk of malnutrition. However, screening tools for patients with liver disease were frequently underestimated. Fluid overload is the main issue to perform nutritional screening in liver disease patients. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the Royal Free Hospital Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT) among patients and to evaluate association between RFH-NPT, Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS 2002) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 3 phases; transcultural adaptation, criterion validity and reliability phases. Content validity was confirmed by interviewing eight liver disease professionals. Face validity was assessed by surveying forty nurses working in the liver disease ward. In addition, agreement between NRS 2002 and RFH-NPT assessment was assessed using the SGA tool. Results: Eighty patients with liver disease took part in this study. The SGA assessment found malnutrition in 75% of patients (95% CI, 60%–95%) while 80% (95% CI, 65%-80) were found as at risk of malnutrition using RFH- NPT. Moderate specificity and high sensitivity of RFHNPT were 97% and 74%, respectively, and 95% positive predictive value was measured. Conclusion: The RFH-NPT nutritional screening tool is the initial and most reliable in this population to assess the malnutrition risk. Thus, inclusion of the RFH-NPT with NRS 2002 demonstrated positive and a fair agreement between the SGA and RFH-NPT tool to be used as a routine nutrition screening protocol for identifying patients at risk of malnutrition.
RESUMEN
@#Introduction: Food insecurity is currently a problem faced by both developing and developed nations. Issues of food insecurity reflect both social and economic challenges, posing a significant policy dilemma. Although there has been various research on food insecurity, very little has been done to better understand what are the sociodemographic factors that can predict food insecurity within a Malaysian context, especially amongst the unique community of Malay university students, which makes up the largest group of students in tertiary education. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence of food insecurity and its associated factors among Malay university students. Methods: Conducted in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Campus, conveniently sampled participants (n = 181) completed a pre-tested English version of the US Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM) questions in 2015, which measures their level of food security status. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the sociodemographic predictors of food insecurity among the sampled population. Results: More than one-third of participants (42.5%) reported food insecurity within the past year with 22.1% experiencing very low food insecurity. Additionally, of those who experienced food security, 5.4% reported a low food security status. However, no significant predictors were observed positively related to food insecurity. Conclusion: Data indicates that food insecurity is a significant problem among university students and additional research is needed to better understand and address food insecurity in higher education.