1.Prevalence and predictors of depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents attending government secondary schools in Malaysia
Normala Ibrahim ; Sherina Mohd Sidik ; Phang Cheng Kar ; Firdaus Mukhtar ; Hamidin Awang ; Ang Jin Kiat ; Zubaidah Jamil Osman ; Siti Fatimah Ab Ghaffar
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2017;72(4):221-227
2.Reliability and Factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire-12 among university students
Normala Ibrahim ; Zubaidah Jamil Osman ; Khin Ohmar Naing Noor Jan ; Siti Irma Fadhilah Ismail ; Phang Cheng Kar ; Firdaus Mukhtar ; Sherina Mohd Sidik
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2014;10(2):53-60
Introduction: The 12- item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been translated into many
languages and widely used in different settings and countries. Its reliability and psychometric properties
were extensively studied in many population groups which suggested that it measures psychological
distress in multidimensional construct. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the reliability
and factor structure of the Bahasa Malaysia version of the GHQ-12 among university students attending
a health program at a Malaysian public university. Method: The cross sectional survey was conducted
on 306 undergraduate students aged between 18 to 27 years old who visited the booth set up for mental
health screening at a health program. The screening was conducted using a self-administered, validated
Bahasa Malaysia version of GHQ-12 questionnaire. Results: Using exploratory factor analysis, the
Bahasa Malaysia version of GHQ-12 was found to have a three factor structures namely depressive
symptoms, self-esteem and perceived abilities which accounted for 58% of the item variance. The overall
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be high (0.84) with each factor having acceptable
inter-item consistency ranging from 0.61 to 0.82. Conclusion: The findings of the study show that the
Bahasa Malaysia version GHQ-12 is reliable and has good structural characteristics. It can assess a few
domains of the psychological status of university students. It also helps in providing more information
on the domain which may become a focus target of intervention in the prevention of mental illness.
Quality of Life
;
Delivery of Health Care
3.Fluid intake, hydration status and its association with cognitive function among adolescents in Petaling Perdana, Selangor, Malaysia
Serene En Hui TUNG ; Yi Zhang CH'NG ; Thaneswary V KARNAN ; Pei Nee CHONG ; Jamil Osman ZUBAIDAH ; Yit Siew CHIN
Nutrition Research and Practice 2020;14(5):490-500
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:
A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate fluid intake and hydration status in association with cognitive function among 230 adolescents (10–14 years of age) in Petaling Perdana, Selangor, Malaysia.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:
Urine color was used to measure hydration status, while fluid intake was assessed using the 15-item beverage intake questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition.
RESULTS:
More than half of the adolescents were mildly or moderately dehydrated (59.6%) and only one-third (33.0%) were well hydrated. Among the daily fluid types, intakes of soft drinks (r = −0.180; P = 0.006), sweetened tea (r = −0.184; P= 0.005) and total sugarsweetened beverages (SSBs) (r = −0.199; P= 0.002) were negatively correlated with cognitive function. In terms of hydration status, cognitive function score was significantly higher (F-ratio = 4.102; P= 0.018) among hydrated adolescents (100.38 ± 12.01) than in dehydrated (92.00 ± 13.63) counterparts. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, showed that soft drinks (β = −0.009; P< 0.05) and sweetened tea (β = −0.019; P< 0.05) negatively predicted cognitive function (ΔR 2 = 0.044). When further control for sources of fluid, hydration status (β = −2.839; P< 0.05) was shown to negatively predict cognitive function (ΔR2 = 0.021). The above variables contributed 20.1% of the variance in cognitive function.
CONCLUSIONS
The results highlight the links between fluid intake (soft drinks, sweetened tea, total SSBs) and hydration status with cognitive function in adolescents. Interventions aimed at decreasing the consumption of SSBs and increasing hydration status through healthy fluid choices, such as water, could improve cognitive performance in adolescents.