Objectives: Accurate medical information is essential among health care professionals to aid dissemination of information to the public. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge about breast cancer and to identify related factors among undergraduate health sciences students in a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia. Methods: The respondents included students aged 18 years old or older who were enrolled in nursing, medical laboratory technician (MLT) and radiography diploma programmes. A Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy Questionnaire (BCCQ) was administered; higher scores on it indicated better knowledge. The reliability and validity of the BCCQ was considered adequate. Descriptive statistics, independent t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple logistic regressions were employed (SPSS 16). Results: A total of 239 respondents participated (mean age = 19.8 ± 0.1 years; females = 83.7%). The knowledge level was moderate. Females, nursing, and final-year students possessed significantly better knowledge. After adjusting for covariates, significant factors determining good breast cancer knowledge include being in the nursing discipline and years of study. Conclusion: This study has generally ascertained that knowledge related to breast cancer and chemotherapy among this sample population remains moderate and is not uniformly disseminated. An increase in knowledge is required to ensure an optimal level of knowledge, particularly for the junior students and those from courses other than nursing.

Objective: Despite the availability of modern anti-emetics, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) symptoms remain distressing to a high number of cancer patients. This study intended to (1) describe the incidence of CINV and antiemetic usage; (2) assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and correlate its components with Global Health Status; (3) evaluate HRQoL status in relation to CINV among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in two government hospitals located in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Terengganu, Kelantan). The Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis Follow-up (MANE-FU) and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) were administered. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were employed (SPSS 16). Results: Respondents included 41 female patients (age = 49 ± 9.6 years; Malay = 92.7%; no family history of breast cancer = 68.3% and on moderately emetogenic chemotherapy = 97.6%). Majority of patients experienced nausea during or after chemotherapy (90.2%) and rated it as ‘severe’. Most patients had taken anti-emetic (87.8%) and considered it ‘somewhat useful’. The median score for Global Health Status was 50 (IqR= 16.7). Emotional Functioning, Fatigue and Pain correlated fairly with HRQoL (rs= +0.435; -0.417; -0.387 respectively). Patients with ‘a lot’ and ‘moderate’ nausea displayed significantly more fatigue compared to those with little nausea (p=0.029). Those who experienced vomiting reported worse HRQoL profile compared to those who did not (p=0.011). Conclusion: These findings generally ascertained that CINV remains poorly controlled and significantly interferes with HRQoL, providing rooms for improvements in therapeutic intervention.

ntroduction: Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is becoming increasingly popular among cancer patients worldwide. While health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in relation to cancer outcomes has attracted global attention, there are few studies on CHM use and HRQoL among cancer patients in Malaysia. This study attempted to determine the association between use of CHM, including the types, reasons, and beliefs, and HRQoL among Malaysian cancer patients. Methods: cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 cancer patients (60 male and 60 female) recruited from government oncology clinics in Johor state. A purposive non-probability sampling was applied to recruit respondents. Results: Use of CHM was reported by about half of the patients (49.2%). Common types of CHM used included Chinese herbal extracts (27.5%), Sabah snake grass (12.2%), and ginger (11.5%). The median score for overall belief in CHM significantly differed between CHM users (71.7%) and non-users (65.0%) (p<0.001). The HRQoL was generally reported as ‘good’ with high scores for overall functioning scales and low scores for symptom scales. However, no significant difference in HRQoL between CHM users and non-users was noted. ‘Social Functioning’ scores between both groups showed a significant difference (p < 0.001) with respect to sex, with females scoring higher than males. No significant association was noted between CHM use and socio-demographic characteristics except for sex. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of self-prescription of CHM among the cancer patients studied. Nonetheless use of CHM did not show any significant difference in terms of quality of life among CHM users.

Introduction: Appropriate oral health knowledge is essential to enable parents to be responsible for the oral health care of their children especially those with special needs. This study aimed to determine the oral health knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of parents and cariogenic food intake of their non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate children (NSCLP) compared to non-cleft children. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected parents with children aged 1 to 6 years at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia and Kota Bharu Dental Clinic. A face-to-face interview using a validated questionnaire on oral health KAP and cariogenic food intake of their children was done. Data were analysed by using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results: Sixty-four Malay parents with NSCLP (n=33) and non-cleft (n=31) children were recruited. The mean (SD) percentage score of oral health knowledge of parents in both groups (NSCLP and non-cleft) was fair, 59.5%(11.85) and 62.0%(15.00), P=0.4722; oral health attitude was good, 78.0% (9.30) and 80.2% (15.40), P=0.504; but oral health practice was poor 33.8% (5.94) and 36.1 (8.44), P=0.220. The cariogenic food frequency score was significantly higher in noncleft children; 40.2(10.32) compared to NSCLP children, 34.8(9.46), P=0.032. Conclusion: Parents of both groups had fair knowledge and good attitude but poor oral health practice. Cariogenic foods were consumed more by the non-cleft children. Oral health awareness among the parents needs to be strengthened towards good oral health attitude and practice and non-cariogenic food choices for the betterment of oral health status of their children.

Background: Body-image perception is one of the determinants in weight management, especially among adolescents. This study aimed to assess weight-control knowledge, attitude and behaviours along with body-image perceptions among Chinese high school students in order to compare the weight-control behaviours with those perceptions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 277 Chinese students in Form 1 and Form 2 in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia using convenience sampling. The following outcomes were evaluated: weight-control knowledge, attitude and behaviours (weight-related knowledge and attitude questionnaire; weight control strategies scale) and body-image perceptions (figure rating scale). Results: Both genders were found to have high weight-control knowledge, with female adolescents scoring significantly higher than male adolescents (P = 0.010). However, only half of the adolescents (50.9%) perceived that obesity is bad for health. Although only 44.4% of adolescents were dissatisfied with their current weight status, 62.8% intended to change their present weight status. Male adolescents significantly engaged more in physical activity (PA) (P = 0.035) and self-monitoring (SM) (P = 0.014) compared to their female counterparts. Furthermore, male adolescents chose their current body size as their ideal body image, but female adolescents preferred a slimmer ideal figure. The percentage of male and female adolescents who desired a smaller body figure was 39.6% and 54.5%, respectively. Lastly, there was no significant difference between weight-control behaviours and adolescents’ body-image perceptions. Conclusion: Female Chinese adolescents had higher weight-control knowledge and preferred a slimmer body size, yet males were more likely to engage in PA and SM behaviours. Essentially, imprecise attitude towards obesity among half of the Chinese high school students is of particular concern.

Introduction: The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among young adults in Malaysia has witnessed a notable increase in recent years, giving rise to concerns regarding the potential adverse health effects, including obesity and diabetes. Despite the urgent need for targeted interventions, there is a dearth of research examining the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to SSBs among Malaysian young adults. To address this research gap, the present study aims to assess the level of KAP concerning SSB intake and its associated factors in this specific population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 408 Malaysian young adults aged between 15 and 29 years. Respondents completed an online questionnaire survey, which encompassed the assessment of socio-demographic characteristics and KAP regarding SSB consumption. The collected data were analyzed using IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Spearman correlation tests were performed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The majority of respondents demonstrated moderate knowledge (60%) and practices (60%), while exhibiting a high positive attitude (100%) towards reducing SSB consumption. Significant correlations were observed between knowledge and attitude (p = 0.003, rs = 0.148) and between knowledge and practice (p = 0.005, rs = 0.138). Moreover, the attitude scores were found to be significantly associated with gender (χ2 (1, N = 408) = 10.421, p = 0.001) and locality (χ2 (1, N = 408) = 4.106, p = 0.043), while the practice scores exhibited a significant association with ethnicity (p = 0.006). Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the relationship between KAP related to SSB consumption and socio-demographic factors among Malaysian young adults. The findings underscore the importance of utilizing these insights to develop strategic interventions that aim to curtail SSB consumption and promote a healthy lifestyle, ultimately contributing to the reduction of non-communicable diseases. Health authorities are encouraged to capitalize on these findings to design targeted interventions tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of this population.