PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF PRETERM BIRTH AMONG PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS IN KUALA LUMPUR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY Introduction: Adolescent pregnancies are often associated with a higher risk of adverse outcomes, including preterm birth, which may lead to severe physiological and psychological health impacts on both mothers and children. Despite the acknowledged risks, there is a knowledge gap regarding the risk factors of preterm birth among pregnant adolescents. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated sociodemographic, maternal, intrapartum and neonatal factors of preterm birth among pregnant adolescents in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from March to June 2024. Samples were selected using simple random sampling from the Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Department of Health pregnant adolescents’ line listing from 2019 to 2023. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the factors associated with preterm birth. Results: A total of 175 pregnant adolescents were included in the study. The prevalence of preterm birth was 16%. Anaemia at booking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 7.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.53, 23.997), history of preterm birth (aOR: 11.654; 95% CI: 1.517, 89.498), history of smoking (aOR: 6.89; 95% CI: 1.397, 34.002) and low birth weight (aOR: 12.503; 95% CI: 3.858, 40.522) were significantly associated with preterm birth. Conclusion: Targeted interventions to address anaemia, history of smoking, previous history of preterm births and low birth weight babies in adolescent pregnancies are crucial to reduce the incidence of preterm birth and improve maternal and infant health outcomes in this population among adolescents.

Introduction: The number of patients with poor glycaemic control who refuse insulin therapy is alarming. Factors that contribute to insulin refusal are important to study to identify high risk groups so that appropriate measures can be taken to prevent progression of uncontrolled diabetes. The objective of this study is to determine the risk factors of insulin refusal among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with poor glycaemic control at Tanglin Health Clinic, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: A case control study was conducted among 216 cases and 230 controls using stratified sampling method. Cases were defined as patients with HbA1C more than 7.5% but not on insulin therapy despite being offered by the doctor whereas controls consist of patients with HbA1C of more than 7.5% but already on insulin therapy. Data was collected from April until May 2018, using a self-administered questionnaire. Analysis was done via IBM SPSS version 23.0. Results: Response rate for cases was 93.9% and response rate for controls was 100%. Risk factors of insulin refusal among poor glycaemic control includes age above 60 years old, tertiary level education, duration of diabetes less than 10 years, poor level of knowledge on insulin, fear on injection pain and fear to bruising due to injections. Conclusion: Hence, efforts must be taken to tackle the modifiable factors such as knowledge on insulin and diabetes, and fear on injections and bruises.
Diabetes mellitus