1.Association between Tooth Loss and Body Mass Index Among Older Adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan
Tanti Irawati ROSLI ; Chan Yoke MUN ; Rahimah Abdul KADIR ; Tengku Aizan Abdul Hamid
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2018;16(1):81-86
Loss of teeth can affect masticatory efficiency in older adults. This may result in avoidance or modifications in foodchoices and lead to lower intake of important nutrients among older individuals. The aim of this study was to determinethe association between tooth loss and body mass index, BMI, among older adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. Across-sectional study was carried out on 428 older adults aged 50 years and above from selected villages in district ofKuala Pilah. Respondents were interviewed to collect information on their demographic characteristics. Number of toothloss was determined through oral assessment, followed by anthropometric assessment to calculate the BMI of respondents.Findings showed that majority of the respondents were overweight and obese, 40.4% and 19.9% respectively, while onlya small proportion was underweight, 3.9%. The proportion of edentulism (total tooth loss) was 18.3% and majority ofthe older adults had lost more than 12 teeth (77.1%) and less than 4 pairs of occluding posterior teeth (86.0%). Totaland partial tooth loss was found to be not significantly associated with BMI. In relation to the arrangement of teeth,older adults with reduced number of posterior occluding pairs of teeth were more likely to experience unsatisfactoryBMI (OR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.48, 8.76). This may suggest that functional arrangement of the tooth in the oral cavity is moreimportant than the number of tooth loss alone. Thus, maintaining an optimum number of teeth for chewing is essentialfor maintenance of ideal BMI.
2.The Problems Of Informal Caregivers On Long-Term Caregiving Of The Elderlies
Suridah Ali ; Rahimah Abdul Aziz ; Mimi Hanida Abdul Mutalib
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2021;21(1):121-126
Malaysia is expected to become the elder country by the year 2035 and elderly caregiving is the main issue in the old population. Although the elderly are expected to live for a longer period, half of them are in an unhealthy condition, sick and suffering from the disease. Thus, they need to be taken care of for a longer period formally or informally. However, most of the family members have chosen to take care of the elderly informally. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify the problems that are faced by the caregivers on long-term caregiving of the elderly. Informal caregivers need to encounter a financial problem, affected health, difficulty in determining the caregiving rotation and lack of knowledge or information pertaining to elderly caregiving. Hence, the roles of caregiving in the long-term period could burden and affect the informal caregivers’ well-being.
3.Effects of Customized Vestibular Rehabilitation on Static balance among Adults with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (Kesan Rehabilitasi Vestibular Disesuaikan Ke Atas Keseimbangan Static Dalam Kalangan Dewasa Dengan Masalah Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
PHUI LIN SE TO ; DEVINDER KAUR AJIT SINGH ; NOR HANIZA ABDUL WAHAT ; MARNIZA OMAR ; WHITNEY SL
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2022;20(No.2):87-97
The aim of this study was to detemine the effectiveness of Customized vestibular rehabilitation (CVR) in addition to the
standard Canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM) on static balance among adults with posterior canal Benign
Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). In this randomised controlled trial, 28 adults with idiopathic unilateral posterior
canal BPPV were randomized to either the control or experimental group. The experimental group (n=14, mean age:
50.71±9.88 years) received CVR in addition to CRM, and the control group (n=14, mean age: 54.36±8.55 years)
received only CRM for 6 weeks. Measurements of static balance (postural sway) using a portable kinematic sensor were
performed at baseline, four and six weeks after treatment for both groups while standing on firm and foam surface with
eyes open (EO) and closed (EC). Only standing on foam surface with EC was observed to have a significant interaction
effect, F (2, 52) =5.28, p<0.05. This suggest that the groups were affected differently by the intervention and greater
improvement was demonstrated in the experimental group. Post hoc test showed that a significant difference (p<0.05)
in static balance was shown between baseline and 6th week after intervention. The results of our study indicate that CVR
in addition to CRM improved static balance in adults with UPC BPPV at 6th week after intervention for persons with
BPPV.