ABSTRACT
Smoking and alcohol intake patterns may persist from adolescence to adulthood. The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence and factors associated with smoking and drinking habits among Form Six students. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in January 2003 among Form Six students from government schools in the Petaling District, Selangor. A hundred and thirty six self-administered questionnaires were distributed to students selected through multistage stratified sampling. Response rate in this study was 90.1% (136/151). The respondents were mainly Chinese 60 (44.1%) and female 88 (64.7%). The prevalence of smoking was 22.8%, whereas the prevalence of alcohol intake was 47.8%. Only 33.1% of the respondents practiced undetermined activities and 1.5% have undetermined characters. There were significant associations between smoking and males (Adjusted OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.02-6.43) and smoking and alcohol intake (Adjusted OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.11-6.78). Alcohol intake has significant negative association with Malays (Adjusted OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.03-0.27). Smoking habits among adolescents were associated with males and alcohol intake. However, only alcohol intake was negatively associated with Malays. Program interventions to reduce behavioral problems, particularly smoking and alcohol intake should be emphasized.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Smoking/epidemiology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Habits , Health Behavior , Humans , Malaysia/epidemiology , Male , Prevalence , Schools , Self Disclosure , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
In 1997, a Motorcycle Safety Programme (MSP) was introduced to address the motorcycle-related accident problem. The MSP was specifically targeted at motorcyclists. In addition to the MSP, the recent economic recession has significantly contributed to a reduction of traffic-related incidents. This paper examines the effects of the recent economic crisis and the MSP on motorcycle-related accidents, casualties and fatalities in Malaysia. The autocorrelation integrated moving average model with transfer function was used to evaluate the overall effects of the interventions. The variables used in developing the model were gross domestic product and MSPs. The analysis found a 25% reduction in the number of motorcycle-related accidents, a 27% reduction in motorcycle casualties and a 38% reduction in motorcycle fatalities after the implementation of MSP. Findings indicate that the MSP has been one of the effective measures in reducing motorcycle safety problems in Malaysia. Apart from that, the performance of the country's economy was also found to be significant in explaining the number of motorcycle-related accidents, casualties and fatalities in Malaysia.
Subject(s)
Accidents, Traffic/mortality , Economics , Motorcycles , Safety , Wounds and Injuries/etiology , Wounds and Injuries/mortality , Accidents, Traffic/prevention & control , Government Programs , Humans , Malaysia/epidemiology , Models, Statistical , Wounds and Injuries/prevention & controlABSTRACT
A 57-year-old woman developed diffuse erythema of the nose that had been diagnosed as acne rosacea for 18 months. Biopsy showed infiltration deep in the nasal skin of a squamous cell carcinoma that extended from the nasal septum. Nasal septal tumors are rare; the most common is squamous cell carcinoma.
