Job stressors and smoking cessation among Malaysian male employees.

BACKGROUND: Job stressors may reduce the likelihood of quitting smoking. AIMS: To assess the association between job strain, smoking behaviour and smoking cessation among Malaysian male employees involved in a smoking cessation programme. METHODS: The study was conducted among employees in two major public universities in Malaysia. All staff from both universities received an invitation to participate in this study. At the start of treatment, participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic variables, smoking habits and the Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). The JCQ consists of scales of job control, job demand, supervisor support, co-worker support, job insecurity, job decision latitude and job skill discretion. Behaviour therapy with free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) was given as treatment for two months. Participants were contacted at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months to determine their smoking status. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty five staff from both universities responded and voluntarily showed interest in quitting. At three months (OR = 8.96; 95% CI: 1.14-70.76) and six months (OR = 8.9; 95% CI: 1.15-68.65), men with higher co-workers' support demonstrated a higher likelihood of quitting. Smokers in a 'passive job' also demonstrated higher likelihood of quitting compared with those working in the 'low strain' category at six months (OR = 9.92; 95% CI: 1.20-82.68). No meaningful associations were found between other psychosocial job variables and smoking cessation. CONCLUSIONS: A positive relationship with and support from co-workers are important factors for workplace smoking cessation.

Predictors of Handgrip Strength among the Free Living Elderly in Rural Pahang, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Reduced handgrip strength is an aging process that significantly influences the living activities of elderly. It is linked to premature mortality, disability and other health complications among elderly. Therefore, we aim to determine the associated predictors with handgrip strength among the free living elderly in Malaysia. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study conducted in a rural state in Malaysia. A total of 434 elderly individuals performed handgrip assessment. Socio-demographic characteristics, medical conditions, occupational history, functional ability (ADL) and depression (GDS) were enquired. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were also obtained. RESULTS: Majority of the respondents were Malays with mean age of 67.9 ± 6.3 years. Maximum handgrip strength of males and females were 28.8±9.2 kg and 18.9±6.9 kg respectively (P<0.05). The aborigines had significantly lower handgrip strength (P<0.05) compared to Malays, Chinese and Indians. Handgrip strength was positively correlated (P<0.05) with weight, height and ADL, while negatively associated (P<0.05) with GDS for both gender. In the multivariate linear regression analysis; weight, height and race significantly predicted handgrip strength among both male and female elderly after adjustment for all potential confounders. However, GDS and ADL were only found to significantly predict handgrip strength among the male elderly; while age was only significant among the females. CONCLUSION: Our sample population has significantly lower handgrip strength than the Western counterpart. Weight, height and race significantly predict handgrip strength among both male and female elderly. GDS, ADL are only found to be significant in males while age was only significant among the females.

Cardiovascular risks among shift and non-shift workers in a public medical centre in Kuala Lumpur

Night work and rotating shift work are found to be detrimental to the health of workers. A cross sectional analytical study was conducted among the employees of a public medical centre in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 380 employees participated in the health screening and questionnaire survey. The majority of the respondents were Malays, females, and with mean age of 49 years old. The shift workers persistently had higher but non-significant proportions of being overweight/ obesity and unhealthy clinical indicators such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipid profile except waist circumferences and HDL-cholesterol. There were also slightly more shift workers diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, hypertension or coronary heart disease (p>0.05). Although the present study could not provide established evidence for a relationship between shift work and cardiovascular risks, this could serve as a pilot study for future studies in this area.

Breakfast Skipping and Its Associated Factors among Undergraduates in a Public University in Kuala Lumpur

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a public university in Kuala Lumpur among a random sample of 2665 undergraduates. The objective was to study the prevalence of breakfast skipping and its associated factors. Data collection was conducted via a self-administered pre-tested questionnaire. There were 43.5% male respondents, with Malays being the majority (58.3%). The prevalence of breakfast skipping was 29.2 (95% CI: 27.3 – 30.3) %. The factors significantly associated with breakfast skipping (p<0.05) were age, race, accommodation, faculty and skipping dinner. As the respondents’ age increased, their risk of breakfast skipping was lower (OR: 0.95; 0.89 – 0.99). Malays (OR: 1.94; 1.48 – 2.54), Indians (OR: 1.70; 1.08 – 2.66), and students from the Sabah and Sarawak indigenous communities (OR: 2.13; 1.37 – 3.33) were more likely to skip breakfast compared to their Chinese counterparts. Respondents who stayed in their own houses were also less likely to skip breakfast compared to those staying in hostel with meals catered (OR: 2.32; 1.39 – 3.84), hostel with cafeteria (OR: 2.92; 1.74 – 4.91) or in rented houses (OR: 2.08; 1.25 – 3.46). Respondents majoring in Arts & Economics had 1.40 (1.07 – 1.82) times risk of breakfast skipping compared to those majoring in Life Sciences. Those who skipped dinner too had twice the odds (1.47 – 2.77) of breakfast skipping. In conclusion the prevalence of breakfast skipping among the undergraduates of this university was moderately high. Health awareness campaigns or introduction of healthy eating guidelines should be initiated for the undergraduates as well as food caterers in campus. The policy and pricing of catered food in campus should also be reviewed.

Prevalence of sleep disturbance among nurses in a Malaysian government hospital and its association with work characteristics

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep disturbance with work characteristics among nurses in the Melaka Hospital, Malacca, Malaysia. This was a cross sectional study conducted in Melaka Hospital. Universal sampling was conducted and a Malay version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was used in data collection. Sociodemographic characteristics such as age, marital status, number of children and work characteristics such as type of work schedule and duration were also enquired. Factors associated with poor sleep quality were compared between those nurses with good sleep quality by using logistic regression. There were 607 nurses who completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 73.1%. There was a moderate prevalence (57.8%) of poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) in all study subjects. The prevalence of sleep disturbance was more widespread among nurses who worked shifts (62.0%) compared to non-shift working nurses (41.5%) p<0.001. A logistic regression analysis showed that age, marital status and unit group were the major associating factors of poor sleep quality. Sleep disturbance decreased with increasing age (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.25, 0.73) while married nurses (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.42, 3.82) and those in the category of intensive group (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.1, 4.1) were more prone to have sleep disturbances. In conclusion, this study revealed moderate prevalence of sleep disturbance among nurses working in Melaka Hospital but it was not associated with the work shifts. Age, marital status and work environment especially in the intensive group unit seemed to be factors associated with reduced global sleep quality among nurses in this study.

Framingham Risk Scores and Anthropometric Measurements in Predicting Cardiovascular Risks among Malay Men

Framingham Risk Scores is an established method to predict an individual’s 10-year risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). It provides a more precise delineation of risk which might lead to appropriate selection of therapy and opportunities for patient education and motivation. A Healthy Lifestyle Project was initiated to decrease the modifiable risk factors for CHD in a worksite in Kuala Lumpur. The participants were Malay men (n=186) working as security guards in a public university. Their mean age was 46.6 + 6.6 years. The majority had secondary education and were married. The participants’ 10-year risks based on the Framingham Risk Scores were 55.4%, 39.8% and 4.8% respectively for categories of low (20%) risk. Their Framingham Risk Scores were then correlated with anthropometric measurements such as the Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip-ratio (WHR). All the anthropometric measurements had weak but significant correlation with the Framingham Risk Scores (WHR: r=0.26; waist circumference: r=0.23; BMI: r=0.16). In conclusion, 44.6% of our participants had more than 10% risk in developing CHD in the coming ten years. Hence, they are suitable target candidates for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle such as smoking cessation, weight control, healthy dietary patterns and increased physical activities. Indicators of abdominal obesity like WHR or waist circumference may be used to complement the Framingham Risk Scores for the prediction of CHD risk in this population.