The Role of Education and Demographic Factors in Condom Use among Male Drug Users in Malaysia

@#Introduction: The rising prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among people who inject drugs is a major public health issue. This study intends to explore education and demographic correlates of use of condoms among male drug users in Malaysia. Methods: Data were extracted from the Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey 2017. Pearson’s chi-square tests and a logistic regression were used to examine the associations between condom use and education, and demographic factors. Results: Only a small proportion of drug users used condoms (25.7%). Educational backgrounds, age, ethnicity and marital status were associated with condom use. The likelihood of using condoms was lower among less educated drug users (aOR: 0.308–0.339). There was an interaction effect of education and age on condom use (aOR: 0.116–0.308). Chinese (aOR: 3.117) and those of other ethnicities (aOR: 2.934) were more likely to use condoms when compared with Malays. Being married (aOR: 0.291) or divorced/widowed (aOR: 0.346) was associated with reduced odds of using condoms. Conclusion: Education and demographic factors play an important role in influencing the decisions of Malaysian drug users to use condoms. Therefore, HIV-preventive measures targeting drug users could benefit by paying special attention to these factors.

Sociodemographic factors associated with consumption of high-sodium foods: Evidence from Malaysia

@#Introduction: The objective of the present study was to investigate the influences of sociodemographic factors on consumption of high-sodium foods among adults in Malaysia. Methods: Data were extracted from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) (n=1046). A seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) was utilised to assess factors associated with the number of servings of high-sodium foods (nasi lemak, roti canai, fried rice, fried noodles, and fried vermicelli) consumed per week. The independent variables were sociodemographic factors. Results: Younger individuals consumed more high-sodium foods than their older counterparts. Adults with secondary level education consumed more high-sodium foods compared with those with tertiary level education. Consumption of high-sodium foods was higher among males and Malays compared to females and non-Malays. Conclusion: Consumption of high-sodium foods was common in the population. Sociodemographic factors, such as age, education level, gender, and ethnicity, play an important role in influencing the decisions of people to consume high-sodium foods.

Age, Education And Consumption Of Medical Care: Evidence From Malaysia

@#The present study examines age and education determinants of consumption of medical care using Malaysian data. The present study offers a better understanding of the effects of age and education on medical care and assists policy makers in developing more effective intervention measures to improve population health. A nationally representative data with a large sample size (n = 14838) was used for analyses. Several important findings are noteworthy. First, age and education are positively associated with consumption of medical care. Second, the impact of education on medical care varies across age. Third, there is no diminishing marginal effect of education on medical care. Findings of the present study suggest that age and education play an important role in determining consumption of medical care. When designing policies to improve population health, consideration should be given to the effects of age and education factors on consumption of medical care. It is important for policy makers to understand which age group and education level of people are more or less likely to use medical care.

Sociodemographic Factors as Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Malaysia (Faktor Sociodemografi Sebagai Penentu Pengambilan Buah-Buahan dan Sayur-Sayuran Di Malaysia) / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

@#The present study examines the factors affecting fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in Malaysia. A nationally representative data that consists of a large sample size is used. Hence, the findings can provide inferential information. The present study uses secondary data from the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey 2009/2010. The survey was carried out using a two-stage stratified sampling. The first stage was based on Enumeration Blocks, while the second stage was based on Living Quarters. A lognormal hurdle model is used to estimate the consumption decision and amount decision of FV across ethnic groups. The results suggest that household size, income, gender, marital status, age and education play significant roles in FV consumption. The probability of consuming FV and amount spent increase with household size (p<0.05). Higher income earners are more likely to consume FV than lower income earners (p<0.05). Being male (p<0.05) and unmarried (p<0.05) seem to reduce the consumption likelihood and amount spent. Compared to younger household heads, older household heads have a higher tendency to consume FV (p<0.05). In terms of policy implication, an intervention measure directed toward increasing FV consumption should focus particularly on those who are associated with low FV consumption. In conclusion, household heads’ sociodemographic and household characteristics are important in determining consumption decision and amount decision of FV among Malaysian households.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Waist Circumference among Male and Female Adults: Findings of the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey 2014

@#Introduction: This study examined how waist circumference (WC) varied across sociodemographic characteristics of Malaysian adults using a nationally representative data. Methods: Data from the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey 2014 (n = 2696) was used. In the sample, 46.55% were males and 53.45% were females. The outcome variable was WC. Waist circumference was categorised into four ordinal outcomes: very low, low, high and very high. The explanatory variables were age, monthly individual income, education, gender, marital status, ethnicity, employment status and household location. Ordered probit models were utilised. Results: The majority of males had a low WC (54.66%), and only a small proportion had a very high WC (0.96%). Similarly, a high proportion of females had a low WC (55.59%), and only 1.94% had a very high WC. Younger males were more likely to have a high WC than their older counterparts. Males who had monthly income of RM2000-2999 or RM3000-3999 were more likely to have a high WC compared with those who had monthly income of ≤RM999. Chinese and Indian males were more likely to have a high WC than Bumiputera males. For females, those who were married, widowed/divorced and Bumiputera were likely to have a high WC. Conclusion: WC was associated with various sociodemographic profiles of males and females. In particular, there were positive associations between the likelihoods of having a high WC and younger age group, higher income, Chinese, Indian, and being married. Our findings provided policy makers with better information on formulating intervention measures.

The relationship between health risk and consumption of confectioneries: An instrumental variable approach

@#Introduction: Consumption of confectioneries is a determinant of health risk. However, how health risk determines the intake of confectioneries remains unclear. The objective is to examine how waist circumference (WC) as a measurement of health risk influences the consumption of confectioneries among adults. The research question is that do high-risk people consume more confectioneries than low-risk people? Methods: A quantitative research design with a focus on establishing a correlation between the measurement of health risk and consumption of confectioneries was adopted. Secondary analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional data was used. The population of interest was the Malaysian population, regardless of being obese or non-obese. Analyses stratified by body mass index (BMI) or WC were not conducted. An instrumental variable (IV) approach was used to estimate the regression of consumption of confectioneries. BMI was used as an IV for WC. In the first stage, we regressed WC on all exogenous variables, including BMI. Then, we replaced the original values of WC with the fitted values of WC. Results: BMI was an appropriate IV for WC. An additional cm of WC was associated with a 0.022 unit of reduction in the serving of confectioneries per week. The negative relationship between WC and consumption of confectioneries indicated that adults who had high health risk consumed lesser confectioneries than adults who had low health risk. Conclusion: Drawing from the IV regression results, the present study highlighted that people with high health risk, rather than people with low health risk, were less likely to consume confectioneries.

Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Decisions for Health-Promoting Goods and Services in Malaysia

Background: In the context of global increases in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, the objective of the present study is to investigate the factors affecting individuals’ decisions to use health-promoting goods and services. Methods: The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS III), consisting of 30992 respondents, was analysed. The Pearson chi-square test was applied to compare the distribution of categorical variables. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the likelihood of using health-promoting goods and services. Results: Age, income, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, location of residence, job characteristics, and being diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia were significantly associated with use of health-promoting goods and services. In contrast, young individuals, low income earners, males, Indians and others, the less-educated, single individuals, rural dwellers, the unemployed and individuals with hypercholesterolemia were less likely to use health-promoting goods and services than others. Conclusion: Socio-demographic and health factors played an important role in affecting the use of health-promoting goods and services. Based on these factors, several intervention measures with the intent of increasing the use of health-promoting goods and services were suggested, if only applicable to Malaysians.

Factors Affecting Alcohol Consumption: The Case of Penang, Malaysia / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

In light of the increases in alcohol-induced diseases and social problems, the present study sets out to examine the factors affecting alcohol consumption among adults in Penang (Malaysia) using a cross-sectional survey sample consisting of 398 respondents. The results of the logistic regression analysis show that age, gender, ethnicity, marital status and smoking are signifi cantly associated with alcohol consumption. In particular, males (OR: 3.720; 95% CI: 1.939, 7.136), Chinese (OR: 3.628; 95% CI: 1.808, 7.279) and smokers (OR: 5.083; 95% CI: 1.876, 13.774) are more likely to consume alcohol than others, whereas, old individuals (OR: 0.971; 95% CI: 0.941, 1.002), Malays (OR: 0.059; 95% CI: 0.021, 0.165) and married individuals (OR: 0.419; 95% CI: 0.211, 0.833) are less likely to consume alcohol than others. Based on the fi ndings of the present study, several intervention strategies toward reducing alcohol consumption are proposed. Specifi cally, these strategies should be targeted at young individuals, males, Chinese, unmarried individuals and smokers

Promoting Malaysians to Spend on Health: What It Takes to Encourage Malaysians to Spend on Health Promotion?

In light of the important role of health-promoting expenditure in health, the objective of this study was to investigate the socio-demographic determinants of health-promoting expenditure such as purchase of medical equipment and services, food supplements and health education services and products among Malaysian adults. Third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS III) consisting of 28771 observations was used for analysis. It was the latest nationally representative cross-sectional population-based survey conducted by the Ministry of Health Malaysia from April 2006 to January 2007. A censored regression model (Tobit) was applied to examine the factors affecting health-promoting expenditure. The results showed that age, income, gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, employment status and location of residence were able to affect health-promoting expenditure. In particular, individuals who were younger, poor, males, Indian/others, less educated, unmarried, unemployed and residing in rural areas tended to spend less money on health promotion compared to others. This study reached a conclusion that socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with individual’s preferences for health promotion. Therefore, the government should devote its attention to these factors when formulating nationwide health policies.

Determinants of the Demand for Using Preventive Medical Care Among Adults in Penang, Malaysia

Background: In light of the fact that chronic diseases were becoming more prevalent recently, the primary objective of the study was to examine the socio-demographic, health, and lifestyle determinants of the use of preventive medical care in Penang, Malaysia. Methods: The study used the primary survey data in Penang which had a total of 398 respondents. Respondents were chosen based on convenient sampling, and the survey was carried out in various locations in Penang. During the survey, the designed questionnaires were distributed for self-administration by the respondents between August and October, 2010. The binary logistic regression model was employed for statistical analysis. Results: Socio-demographic and health factors like income, marital status, education, history of serious family illnesses and self-perceived health status were statistically significant in affecting the likelihood of using preventive medical care. Specifically, being married (OR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.13, 3.32), the presence of a history of serious family illnesses (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.37, 3.36), having high income (OR: 8.71; 95% CI: 1.03, 73.59) and self-perceived poor health status (OR: 4.78; 95% CI: 1.09, 21.00) were positively related with using preventive medical care. However, having low educational background (OR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.95) were inversely related to the probability of using such medical care. Conclusion: In view of the findings, the individuals’ socio-demographic and health profiles were suggested to be given attention by the public health authorities if the goals of increasing the use of preventive medical care in the community were to be achieved.