1.Association of Body Weight Status and Socio-Demographic Factors with Food Habits among Preschool Children in Peninsular Malaysia
Norimah AK ; Mohd Nasir MT ; Hazizi AS ; Suraya I ; Loh SH ; Nurliyana AR
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition 2014;20(3):303-315
Introduction: Changes in children's food habits are largely attributed to changes in the family and social environment. This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the association of socio-demographic factors with food habits among preschool children in Peninsular Malaysia.
Methods: A total of 1,933 preschool children aged 4-6 years old participated in the study. Parents or guardians were interviewed on the socio-demographic characteristics and food habits of their children. Height and weight of the preschoolers were measured; BMI-for-age, weight-for-age and height-for-age were determined.
Results: The mean monthly household income was RM3,610 with 59.6% of parents having attained secondary education. The prevalence of possible risk of overweight, being overweight and obesity were 3.9%, 7.9% and 8.1%, respectively while the prevalence of underweight and stunting was 8.0% and 8.4%. A majority of the preschoolers consumed breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, with the proportion of children skipping their main meals at about 15.0%. Parents' education level and household income were significantly associated with intakes of fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products, as well as fast food. However, there was no significant association between children's body weight status and frequency of main meals intake, fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products, and fast food intake.
Conclusion: The preschoolers demonstrated moderately healthy food habits; nevertheless even at this young age, they were inclined towards fried foods, snacking and fast foods intake. Parents and guardians should play a more significant role in educating and promoting good nutrition and food habits among preschoolers.
2.Work-related Quality of Life and Its Associated Factors Among House Officers Working at Two Hospitals in Selangor
Nadia Abd Gaffar ; Zaliha Ismail ; Hasidah Abdul-Hamid ; Suraya Abdul-Razak
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.2):137-145
Introduction: Mental health-related problems are on the rise among medical doctors, with many house officers
(HOs) have quitted training prematurely owing to work and life-related factors. However, the quality of work-life
(QOWL) among Malaysian HOs remains unknown. Hence, we aimed to determine the mean score of QOWL and
its predictors among HOs working at two tertiary hospitals. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at
two tertiary hospitals in Selangor, between May and August 2019. A stratified random sampling was employed. The
Malay version of work-related quality of life scale (M-WRQLS-2) and the patient health questionnaire (M-PHQ-9)
were used for data collection. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS version 23.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL). Results: A total of 260 (72.9%) respondents completed the questionnaires. The overall score of QOWL was 3.05 ± 0.48
(95% CI: 2.99, 3.11). Depressed HOs had a significantly lower mean score across all subscales (p < 0.005) except for
the stress at work (SAW) subscale. Two predictors were inversely associated with QOWL. These were the M-PHQ-9
score [β= -0.049,95% CI: -0.06, -0.04] and being female [β=-0.129,95% CI: -0.24, -0.02]. Conclusion: HOs who
worked at the two hospitals in Selangor perceived their overall QOWL as average. However, being female and
having depression were found to be associated with lower QOWL. Therefore, early interventions targeting female
HOs and those with depressive symptoms are warranted. Further research and strategies aiming to improve the overall quality of work-life and its dimensions for HOs during housemanship training are vital.