Changes in the pattern of eating habit and physical activity during the pandemic of COVID-19 in Malaysia: data from COMET-G international multi-country study

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic had led to lifestyle changes among Malaysians. These changes were due to people being confined to work and study at home and stress due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Our study aimed to observe changes in the patterns of eating habits and physical activity during the pandemic of COVID-19 in Malaysia and look for the associations with sociodemographic factors, people living together, living conditions and mental health status. This study was an online cross-sectional survey among 963 participants who completed self-administrated questionnaires on socio-demography, Likert scales on eating habits and physical activity and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for mental health status. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations and independent t tests. Marital status has a significant association with the frequency and intensity of physical workouts during this pandemic and lockdown, changes in eating amount, and changes in body weight (p<0.001). Employment had a significant association with all components of eating habits and physical activities except the level of physical activity affected by the pandemic (p<0.001). Those with normal mental health status found exercise to be helpful in preventing anxiety, practicing healthy eating, and having more changes in body weight, compared to those who were depressed (p<0.001). There was a significant difference in how the vulnerable group practiced healthy eating compared to the non-vulnerable group (p<0.001). The vulnerable group had significant changes in eating amount and body weight (p<0.001). In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes in eating habits and body weight which were also influenced by sociodemographic factors and mental health status. © 2023, Mahidol University - ASEAN Institute for Health Development. All rights reserved.

Digital Skills among Engineering Technology Educators in the Implementation of Distance Learning

The digital skills which should be acquired by educators in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) are crucial towards the implementation of distance learning. However, less research has been done on the significance of these skills, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the development of digital skills among educators in TVET. This study utilizes an online survey, which is distributed to the teachers and educators in Malaysia to investigate their perception towards the implementation of digital learning. A total of n=242 respondents, whom are educators from public and private educational institutions, participated in the survey. The research method applied in this study is a quantitative method, involving use age of questionnaires to obtain data. Overall, the results of the study show a Mean of Acceptance m=3.98, while for readiness on facilities, m=3.58, technology, m=3.96 and self-confidence, m=4.28. While the mean for awareness is m=4.23. The implications of the findings of this study will be able to contribute to the field of digital learning. The contribution of this study can provide an overview on the development of applications to facilitate students and lecturers in open distance learning (ODL). © 2022 IEEE.

Sociodemographic Factors of Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia: the COVID-19 Mental Health International Study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of depression and the sociodemographic factors associated with depression in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic METHODS. This study is part of the COVID-19 Mental Health International Study to collect data on the impact of the pandemic on mental health through an online survey. People who were aged ≥18 years, able to read Malay or English, had access to the internet, and consented to participate were asked to complete a pro forma questionnaire to collect their sociodemographic data. The presence of distress and depression was assessed using the English or Malay version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. RESULTS: Of 963 participants, 451 (46.8%) had depression and 512 (53.2%) had no depression who were either normal (n = 169, 17.5%) or had distress (n = 343, 35.6%). Participants had higher odds of having depression when living with two people (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.896, p = 0.001), three people (AOR = 2.622, p < 0.001) or four people (AOR = 3.135, p < 0.001). Participants with three children had higher odds of having depression (AOR = 2.084, p = 0.008), whereas having only one child was a protective factor for depression (AOR = 0.481, p = 0.01). Participants had higher odds of having depression when self-employed (AOR = 3.825, p = 0.003), retired (AOR = 4.526, p = 0.001), being housekeeper (AOR = 7.478, p = 0.004), not working by choice (AOR = 5.511, p < 0.001), or unemployed (AOR = 3.883, p = 0.009). Participants had higher odds of depression when living in a small town (AOR = 3.193, p < 0.001) or rural area (AOR = 3.467, p < 0.001). Participants with no chronic medical illness had lower odds of having depression (AOR = 0.589, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: In Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic, people who are living with two, three, or four people, having three children, living in a small town or rural areas, and having unstable income have higher odds of having depression. Urgent intervention for those at risk of depression is recommended.

Comparison of Metaheuristic Techniques for Parcel Delivery Problem: Malaysian Case Study

Most people preferred e-commerce ensuing the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, resulting in delivery companies receiving large quantities of parcels to be delivered to clients. Hurdle emerges when delivery person needs to convey items to a large number of households in a single journey as they never face this situation before. As a result, they seek the quickest way during the trip to reduce delivery costs and time. Since the delivery challenge has been classified as an NP-hard (non-deterministic polynomial-time hard)) problem, this study aims to search the shortest distance, including the runtime for the real case study located in Melaka, Malaysia. Hence, two metaheuristic approaches are compared in this study namely, Ant-Colony Optimization (ACO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA). The results show that the GA strategy outperforms the ACO technique in terms of distance, price, and runtime for moderate data sizes that is less than 90 locations. © 2022, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications. All Rights Reserved.

Enhancing The Development Of Engineered Wood Products From Planted Timber Species In Sarawak

The Centre of Excellence in Wood Engineered Products (CeWEP) established in early 2017 aimed in making Sarawak the hup of the down-stream industry especially for the planted timber species. Wood engineered products generally produced by binding the strands, particles, fibres, veneers or boards of wood, together with adhesives to form composite materials. They are products precisely design with specifications and tested to meet national or international standards. Sarawak with land areas of 124,500 sq km, generated wood and timber products of more than 5 million metric tons since 2012 onward. These forest products catered mostly for the upstream industries such as sawn timbers, plywood, veneer, wood moulding, laminated boards, particleboards, MDF, woodchip, charcoal/briquette, laminated flooring and wood pellets. Advanced timber products have not been fully emphasized yet. It is high time for the Sarawak state to shift gear in the timber downstream industries focusing in wood engineered products from planted timber species. The state has for the past decade involved in timber plantation activities. Seven (7) timber species namely the Acacia mangium, Azadirachta excelsa, Kyaya ivorensis Neolamarckia cadamba, Octomeles sumatrana, Paraserianthes falcataria, and Tectona grandis have been planted in various location in the state. With an area of 2.8 million ha of planted forest, the state is seriously intended to increase the production of the downstream timber industry which is equivalent to the existing industry in Peninsular Malaysia. Timber downstream industries, such as laminated/composited furniture & construction materials that generate high income, are expected to be actively produce in 2030. The CeWEP is still at an early stage of its establishment. The occurrence of the Covid-19, especially from 2020 to 2022, has slowdown the progress pace of the centre. As of now, CeWEP has managed to reach stage 2 in the ten years of strategic planning. The repercussion progress will somehow be made to ensure the planning is completed successfully in 2030. With efforts being currently made by those involved in the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and with close cooperation and support by other internal and external agencies/networking, the CeWEP will play an important in utilizing the planted timber species in generating income for the rural people and Sarawak state government