Public Awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act Governing Chiropractic in Malaysia: A Survey of Adults in Klang Valley.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of awareness of the traditional and complementary medicine law governing chiropractic among adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of patients attending the following 4 health care services: medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and chiropractic. The study ran from July to November 2018. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and reported using descriptive statistics. Variables included demographic characteristics and awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 (Act 775). Results: We obtained 440 responses, 186 (42.3%) from men and 254 (57.7%) from women, with ages ranging from 18 to 81 years. The majority of respondents (97.3%) were Malaysian from the non-Malay ethnic group. Almost half (47.5%) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree. The awareness of the traditional and complementary medicine law governing chiropractic was low (4.8%). Binary logistic regression revealed marital status as the only significant predictor of awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act, with married individuals showing higher awareness (adjusted odds ratio: 2.77; 95% CI, 1.38-5.58). Conclusion: For this sample of adults, the awareness of the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016 governing chiropractic was found to be low. As the regulation of chiropractic is still new in Malaysia and other Asian countries, efforts are needed to increase public awareness to ensure the safety and quality of chiropractic services.

Ergonomic Risk Factors of Fourth- and Fifth-Year International Medical University Dental Students.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the ergonomic risk factors of year 4 and year 5 dental students attending International Medical University. Methods: This was an exploratory, observational study evaluating ergonomic risk factors among year 4 and year 5 dental students, with a total of 89 participants. The students' ergonomic risk components were evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) worksheet. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the RULA scores, and the Mann-Whitney U test served to determine the difference of ergonomic risk between year 4 and year 5 dental students. Results: The descriptive analysis showed that the participants' (N = 89) median final RULA score was 6.00 (standard deviation = 0.716). One-year difference in the years of clinical practice did not produce a significant difference in the final RULA score (U = 913.0, P = 0.49). The final RULA scores showed year 4 dental students had a higher mean ranking (year 4 = 46.65, year 5 = 43.23). Furthermore, the Mann-Whitney U test indicated that this was not statistically significant (U = 913.0, P = 0.49). Conclusion: The descriptive analysis showed that the final RULA score of the participants indicated that the participants were in a high-risk category for experiencing work-related musculoskeletal disorders due to poor ergonomics. Contributing physical factors included working in asymmetric, awkward, and static positions in a confined workspace, infrequent use of dental loupes, and utilization of dental chairs that were not ergonomically appropriate.

Demographic Factors Associated With Public Awareness of Chiropractic in Klang Valley, Malaysia: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to determine the public awareness of chiropractic in Klang Valley and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with this awareness. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a total of 440 respondents was conducted in medical, chiropractic, pharmacy, and dental health care facilities in Klang Valley. A self-administrated questionnaire was enclosed in an envelope and handed to the participants by the health care facilities' staff. Tables and figures were used to present the descriptive data. Data collected were also analyzed using inferential statistics such as binary logistic regression, odds ratio, and 95% confidence interval. The variables in this study were age, ethnicity, sex, education level, marital status, nationality, employment status, and health status along with awareness of chiropractic. Results: The respondents' ages ranged from 18 to 81 years, and the mean age was 33.1 years. The majority of respondents were single (52.1%), and 43.1% of respondents were married. Most of the respondents were employed (64.4%), followed by students (14.8%). Among the respondents, 40.2% perceived to have a good health status. Good awareness of chiropractic was 50.2%, whereas the poor awareness of chiropractic was 49.8%. Two sociodemographic factors that were statistically significantly associated with the awareness of chiropractic were ethnicity and employment status, with a P value of <.001 and .006, respectively. Conclusion: The level of public awareness of chiropractic was 50.2%, with ethnicity and employment status as statistically significant associated factors.

Chiropractic Utilization Among Patients in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the utilization of chiropractic in Klang Valley, Malaysia. METHODS: This research was a cross-sectional study conducted in 4 health care centers, namely Klinik Mediviron Sri Rampai, Queck Dental Surgery, International Medical University (IMU) Healthcare Chiropractic Centre, and Be Pharmacy Bandar Sri Permaisuri, in Klang Valley from July to November 2018, with a total of 440 respondents. The data collection was done by the self-administration method using questionnaires that were enclosed in envelopes and passed on to the participants by the center's staff. Descriptive statistics were conducted on the data collected and are presented in tables and figures. The variables were sex, age, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status, and health status with the utilization of chiropractic. RESULT: There were 186 (42.3%) male and 254 (57.7%) female respondents. The youngest respondent was 18 years old, and the oldest was 81 years old. The median age was 30 years old. Most respondents (97.3%) were Malaysian from a non-Bumiputra (non-Malay) ethnic group. Almost half (47.5%) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree education level. The utilization of chiropractic was 35.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 31.4-40.5). CONCLUSION: The utilization of chiropractic was 35.9%, which was slightly lower than utilization among other traditional and complementary medicine practices in Malaysia.