Cosmetics: What Do Bruneian Female Adults Believe?

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to measure the level of attitudes and the current practices of the female community in Brunei Darussalam regarding the usage of cosmetics. METHODS: An online survey was conducted using a non-probabilistic snowball sampling approach via the social media channels WhatsApp and Instagram. The inclusion criteria were female Bruneian citizens or permanent residents, aged between 18 and 65 years old, who can understand English or Malay, and use cosmetic products at least once a day. RESULTS: A total of 445 participants responded to the online survey. Most of the participants agreed that the use of cosmetic products improves one's physical appearance to the public (391, 87.8%) and also improves self-confidence (405, 91.1%). There were significant differences in monthly cosmetic product expenses and participants' attitudes about safe cosmetic use (p = 0.001). No significant changes in the individuals' attitudes based on their age or educational level were observed. Overall, the participants had a good level of cosmetic safety practice. Almost half of the participants use social media to obtain information regarding what cosmetics to use or purchase. CONCLUSION: There is a medium to high level of attitude and a high level of practice regarding the safe use of cosmetics among Bruneian female adults. Social media was the main source of information for the respondents, followed by friend circle and family members.

Resilience among Malaysian Community Pharmacists and General Medical Practitioners Using the 10-Item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC): The First National Survey.

With the growing importance of the healthcare sector, resilience has become a fundamental personal quality that healthcare professionals need to cultivate to cope with adverse events in daily work. Distress in the workplace cannot only impact the well-being of healthcare professionals but also negatively affect the capability to care effectively for others. This study was conducted to determine the score and level of resilience among private primary healthcare professionals and their relationships with independent variables. Sets of questionnaires on resilience based on the Connor-Davidson resilience scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) were completed by 164 general practitioners (GPs) and 87 community pharmacists (CPs). Inferential analysis was used to assess the difference, correlation, association, and predictor among dependent and independent variables. The validity and reliability of the study instrument were assessed using Modern Test Theory (MTT) and Classical Test Theory (CTT). The majority of GPs and CPs possessed the lowest resilience level. There were significant differences between CD-RISC-10 with gender, age, and years of experience in GPs as well as overall. Significant associations were found between CD-RISC-10 with all independent variables, except for the highest education level in GPs and overall. This study revealed significant correlations between independent variables with CD-RISC-10 in GPs and overall. However, there were nonsignificant differences, associations, and correlations among CPs between all independent variables and CD-RISC-10. Gender was the predictor of CD-RISC-10 in GPs, while age and years of experience were the predictors of CD-RISC-10 in GPs and overall. There was no predictor of independent variables for CPs. In multinomial logistics regression, years of experience and gender were the significant predictors of CD-RISC-10 among GPs. The CD-RISC-10 instrument had good validity and reliability. Overall, healthcare professionals showed a low level of resilience. This emphasized the need to cultivate and build resilience, as it is a desirable, important element when working in harsh and unprecedented healthcare settings.

Relationship of Self Efficacy in Medication Understanding with Quality of Life among Elderly with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Polypharmacy in Malaysia.

Self-efficacy (SE) has been shown to be positively correlated with quality of life (QOL) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Medication understanding (MU) on the other hand, leads to good adherence that indirectly improves QOL. Measuring self-efficacy in medication understanding is useful to ascertain patient's confidence in medication adherence. However, there is a lack of studies on the relationship between self-efficacy in medication understanding with QOL. This study aimed to determine the relationship between self-efficacy in medication understanding and QOL, and the factors associated with QOL in elderly with T2DM on polypharmacy. A cross-sectional study was conducted on these populations at primary care specialist clinic. Malay version of MU in SE questionnaire (MUSE) was used. Higher scores showed a better understanding. A revised Version Diabetic Quality of Life-13 (RVDQOL-13) questionnaire was used with lower scores indicating higher QOL. A total of 321 patients participated, with the majority being male (58.3%), Malay (84.7%), a predominant age group of 60−69 (75.7%) with mean age (±SD) of 66.7 (±0.286) years old. The median (IQR) of MUSE was high­30 (4)­while the RVDQOL-13 was low­19 (8)­which demonstrated high QOL. Inverse correlation was found between MUSE and QOL (r −0.14, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that MUSE score (ß −0.282; 95% CI: (−5.438, −2.581); p < 0.001), low-income group (ß −0.144; 95% CI: (−3.118, −0.534); p = 0.006) and duration of medications ≥240 days (ß −0.282; 95% CI: (−5.438, −2.581); p < 0.001) were associated with better QOL, while medications ≥10 (ß 0.109; 95% CI: 0.214, 4.462; p = 0.031) and those with pills and insulin (ß 0.193; 95% CI: 1.206, 3.747; p < 0.001) were associated with poor QOL. In conclusion, higher MUSE is associated with better QOL. Findings suggest emphasizing self-efficacy in medication understanding in the management of elderly with T2DM on polypharmacy to improve QOL.