Seasonality, food security, diet quality and nutritional status in urban poor adolescents in Malaysia.

Seasonality was shown to have an effect on food availability and accessibility, increasing the risk of food insecurity and causing poor diet quality and malnutrition. Therefore, this study aimed to determine seasonal effects on household food security status, diet quality, and nutritional status of urban poor adolescents in Malaysia. A cohort study was conducted among 164 adolescents aged 10-17 from 12 People Housing Programme in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during the Northeast (November 2021 till March 2022) and Southwest (June 2022 till September 2022) monsoon. Household food security status was measured using the 18-item USDA Household Food Security Survey Module. Dietary intake was determined using a two-days 24-h dietary recall and translated into Standardized Malaysian Healthy Eating Index (S-MHEI). Anthropometric and haemoglobin level measurements were performed to determine nutritional status. Seasonality was found to have a significant effect on overall diet quality (p = 0.021), food groups such as fish (p < 0.001), meat/poultry/eggs (p = 0.003), and legumes/nuts (p < 0.001), and fat nutrient (p = 0.037) as well as anaemia status (p = 0.020) after controlling the confounders. Although food security did not vary with seasons, seasonality affected the consumption of certain food groups as well as anaemia status for urban poor adolescents. Seasonally sensitive nutrition initiatives should be developed to ensure diet adherence to recommendations, ultimately enhancing the diet quality of urban poor adolescents.

Seasonal variation in food security, lifestyle, nutritional status and its associated factors of the urban poor adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: research protocol of a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Climate change, obesity and undernutrition have now become a worldwide syndemic that threatens most people's health and natural systems in the twenty-first century. Adolescent malnutrition appears to be a matter of concern in Malaysia, and this is particularly relevant among the urban poor population. Mounting evidence points to the fact that underlying factors of malnutrition are subject to climate variability and profoundly affect nutritional outcomes. Hence, it is interesting to examine seasonal variation in nutritional status and its associated factors of urban poor adolescents in Malaysia. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study following urban poor adolescents aged 10-17 years living in low-cost high-rise flats in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, across two monsoon seasons. The baseline assessment will be conducted during the onset of the Northeast Monsoon and followed up during Southwest Monsoon. Climate data will be collected by obtaining the climatological data (rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity) from Malaysia Meteorological Department. Geospatial data for food accessibility and availability, and also built (recreational facilities) environments, will be analyzed using the QGIS 3.4 Madeira software. Information on socio-demographic data, food security, lifestyle (diet and physical activity), and neighbourhood environment (food and built environment) will be collected using a self-administrative questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements, including weight, height, and waist circumference, will be conducted following WHO standardized protocol. WHO Anthro Plus was used to determine the height-for-age (HAZ) and BMI-for-age (BAZ). Anaemic status through biochemical analyses will be taken using HemoCue 201+® haemoglobinometer. DISCUSSION: The study will provide insights into the seasonal effects in nutritional status and its associated factors of urban poor adolescents. These findings can be useful for relevant stakeholders, including policymakers and the government sector, in seizing context-specific strategies and policy opportunities that are seasonally sensitive, effective, and sustainable in addressing multiple challenges to combat all forms of malnutrition, especially among urban poor communities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol for this review has not been registered.

Knowledge and practices in preventing nutritional anaemia of the urban poor adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Background: Anaemia has been identified as a major public health problem that affects both developed and developing countries, including Malaysia. To prevent anaemia, knowledge is a key parameter for changing attitudes and practices. Aim: This present study aims to determine the association of knowledge and practices in preventing nutritional anaemia with anaemia status of urban poor adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 209 urban poor adolescents (50.7% males and 49.3% females) aged 10 to 17 years old were recruited from eight low-cost flats (People Housing Programme) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and practices in preventing nutritional anaemia. Anaemia status from the haemoglobin level concentration was determined using HemoCue® 201 + hemoglobinometer. Results: The prevalence of anaemia among urban poor adolescents was 58.4%, particularly prevalent among females (p < 0.001) and household size of six and above (p = 0.036). Only 29.2% and 10.0% of them were found to have good levels of knowledge and practices in preventing nutritional anaemia, respectively. Adolescents with high knowledge level tended to be anaemic as compared to poor knowledge level (AOR(95% CI) = 2.20 (1.02, 5.61), p < 0.05) after adjusting for sex, household size and monthly household income. Conclusion: Findings showed high prevalence of anaemia and low levels of knowledge and practices of nutritional anaemia prevention among the urban poor adolescents. Nutrition education and intervention are needed to improve the anaemia status of the urban poor adolescents.

Silicon Improves Yield Performance by Enhancement in Physiological Responses, Crop Imagery, and Leaf and Culm Sheath Morphology in New Rice Line, PadiU Putra.

The PadiU Putra rice line is a blast-resistant and high-yield rice line with high potential. The application of topdressing and the foliar applied method of silicon (Si) treatments could strengthen the culm to resist breakage and ultimately increase yield production. Treatments which consisted of a control, a Si topdressing, and a Si foliar applied were arranged in a randomised complete block design. At 55 days after transplanting (DAT), the foliar applied Si treatments had 59% higher dry matter partitioning to the roots. Meanwhile, at 75 DAT, both Si foliar applied and topdressing method showed increased assimilate partitioning into the culm sheath by 29% and 49%, respectively. Dark green and light yellowish colours were obtained in both Si treatments using UAV, indicating similar results to physiological responses. Remarkably, Si foliar applied treatments enhanced the diameter and width of the outer and inner layers of the diameter of vascular bundles at 75 DAT by 58, 181, and 80%, respectively. The yield production of rice increased by 53% in the Si foliar applied, compared to the control, and produced a 1.63 benefit-cost ratio.